


Just the Beginning

by HufflepuffChildOfApollo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, BAMF Astoria Greengrass, Babies, Baby Delphi (Harry Potter), Baby Teddy Lupin, Blood, Broken Bones, Canon Divergence - Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Death Eaters, Delphi Isn't Evil, Dementor's Kiss, Dementors, Escape, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lucius Malfoy Dies, Murder, Narcissa Black Malfoy Dies, Not Canon Compliant, Nymphadora Tonks Lives, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Order of the Phoenix Bashing (Harry Potter), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Draco Malfoy, Sort Of, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2020-02-26 20:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18724333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HufflepuffChildOfApollo/pseuds/HufflepuffChildOfApollo
Summary: Draco knew there would be punishment when he failed the Dark Lord. And he knew his life would be changed — he simply didn't know how.





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, Voldemort completely (but gradually) took control of the Ministry after Order of the Phoenix, and has utilized the courtrooms for torture and execution chambers for disloyal followers and Muggle-borns, as well as places to keep his Inferi and Dementors until they're needed. Now, the Order is in hiding (after Deathly Hallows, in which not all the Horcruxes were destroyed, though the Battle of Hogwarts still took place. It ended with Harry too badly injured to fight.) and Draco and his parents are being punished, along with other 'traitors'.

Draco knew there would be punishment for his failure. What he didn't know was why it was taking so bloody  _long._

He sat in darkness, his hands bound behind him. His wrist ached from the thin, scratchy rope digging into them. His eyes itched and watered from the dust and ash in the small cell. Vaguely he wondered how many people had been burned to create so much ash. He had witnessed at least three executions in the past year. That didn't account for the solid foot of ash that covered the floor, visible in the light squeezing in around the door. It was not a reassuring sight.

 _How did this even happen?_ he thought miserably, coughing as he inhaled even more ash. He wriggled his hand, trying to work the rope loose, but only succeeded in scratching the skin even worse, and glared at the door ahead of him.

 _Oh, yes. How could I forget? Potter. Stupid._ Draco kicked at a pile of ash, which proved to be a bad idea when a great cloud of it flew right in his face. He coughed and hacked, cursing under his breath. When his lungs were finally cleared and he could breathe again, he tilted his head back, staring up at the low ceiling. He could see long gouges scratched into the charred wood. He looked away. 

A scream from outside shocked him, and he jolted in his seat, nearly tipping the chair. He sat stock-still, his eyes wide as he  gasped for breath. His heart was beating faster than a jobberknoll's death wail, and just as loud. He swallowed hard, suddenly finding his mouth dry. 

_Don't panic. There were plenty of other prisoners. It's not —_

Another scream. This time it was unmistakable. Draco felt his heart stop, his eyes watering again, and this time it wasn't because of the ash. He clenched his fists, his teeth digging into his lip so hard he bled. 

_Mother._

A choked sob forced its way out as another scream pierced the air, and then slowly quieted to hopeless sobbing. Draco threw himself forward, getting to his knees in front of the door and peering through a small gap between two boards. As he did, he felt a sudden chill, and he gasped as he saw what was happening.

His mother knelt on a dais in the center of the room. Her blond hair hung in limp strands down her back, and her shoulders shook as the other figure standing on the dais grabbed her by the chin and forced her face upwards. In the air above her hovered what was unmistakably a Dementor. Draco watched, frozen in shock, as the Dementor swooped towards his mother, lowering its hood. He could do nothing but  watch as his his mother fell, lifeless, to the floor as the Dementor sucked out her soul. 

Several things happened within the next few seconds. Draco heard his father cry out from across the room. He was instantly silenced. At the same time, the door to Draco's cell swung open, and he fell on his face, having no way to catch himself. He was grabbed by his hair and hauled up the dais before being  shoved to his knees. 

 "Draco! How nice of you to join us!" 

It was hard for Draco to see, but the sound of his aunt's voice sent a chill down his spine. He heard the clicking of her  boots on the stone floor, and then her long-nailed hand curled under his chin, jerking his head up to face her. Through the haze of blood and tears he could see her large, dark eyes, a sadistic gleam in them. He had seen that look before, when she was torturing a Mudblood someone had brought in. He had stood back, watched with something close to interest, when it was happening. Now, on the receiving end, he understood why that girl had  screamed that way when Bellatrix looked at her. 

 "Now, Draco, don't be frightened." She smiled. "If you're good, maybe I won't even kill you. Our house-elf is getting rather old, isn't he, Rodolphus?"  Bellatrix looked up at the Death Eater who still had a fistful of Draco's hair. "Yes, I think Draco will be a suitable replacement." She grinned, her eyes sliding back to Draco's.

 "Just kill me," he choked out. Bellatrix grinned, her grip on his had tightening. 

 "I don't think so, dearie." She let go of his face, slapping him sharply as she stood, and looked to Rodolphus. "Let's leave him for the Dementors. We'll have a nice little show." Rodolphus let go of Draco, and he and Bellatrix walked off to a door at the side of the room. Bellatrix glanced at him once more before the door closed, smirking. 

 "Get out on your own and we might let you live," she said. Then the door closed and Draco was left alone with the Dementors. 

Draco shivered as he stood on unsteady legs, biting his lip and stumbling off the platform. His head still ached, and the cut on his head was still bleeding profusely into his eyes. He managed to make it another five feet before he came nearly face-to-face with a Dementor. He nearly gasped, remembering at the last second to close his mouth. He slowly walked backwards, not taking his eyes off the creature, until he tripped over something and fell to the floor, hearing a loud  _snap!_ as he landed on top of his wrist. Draco barely managed to contain a cry of pain, and then one of horror at realizing what he'd tripped over was his mother's body. Panting, he looked up at the Dementor, his eyes wide. 

 "Bellatrix!" he called in desperation, looking frantically around the room. He scrambled back away from the Dementor. "Bellatrix, please! Let me out!" He managed to get to his feet, and got over to one of the doors, almost falling over several times and trying desperately to avoid looking at the body of his father, yet his eyes seemed drawn to where he laid on the ground only a few meters from the door, blood flowing onto the floor from his chest, where Bellatrix's long, silver knife was still sunk to the hilt. 

  _The knife!_ Draco nearly laughed in spite of his panic. He staggered over, falling to his knees, and turning so his back was toward his father's body he pulled the knife free. Then, using his unbroken hand, he angled the knife so it would cut the rope binding him. Thankfully, the Dementors didn't seem to care much for him —  _probably don't have much of a soul for them to take —_ but he couldn't afford to be too optimistic, or they definitely would be paying attention.

Draco finally managed to cut through the rope after several minutes of frantically sawing with the knife, and he stood, running back over to the door. He quickly shoved the knife into the keyhole, turning and twisting it until the lock clicked, and he jerked the door open. He stood in the empty doorway, gazing down the long, narrow corridor ahead, before stepping out and slamming the door behind him. He then pulled the knife from his pocket, gripping it tightly, and began to walk down the corridor with only three things on his mind. 

Find Bellatrix. Kill her. Get out. 


	2. Chapter two

Draco held his breath as he made his way slowly through the maze of dark passages that he now recognized as those that ran between the Ministry courtrooms, though on which level he wasn't sure. The corridor ahead was narrow and the stone floor was cold on his bare feet, but he forged ahead anyway. The knife in his hand was a small comfort whenever he passed another dark corridor or room; He knew the Dark Lord kept his armies of Inferi in the lower levels of the Ministry, and a werewolf pack lived on another. This one, however, seemed mostly empty. Still, it was unnerving. 

It was made even more unnerving when he finally found a room that wasn't completely dark. Draco stepped inside quickly, tucking his knife into his pocket, and took the torch out of its bracket (with some difficulty) and turned around; He nearly dropped the torch when he saw the body. 

From the looks of it she'd been dead a few days; Draco thought he remembered an execution a week or so before, though not in the courtroom. More likely they'd just chased her through the corridors until she starved to death, or more likely froze. Draco held the torch a little closer to himself at the thought. The most unnerving part, though, was that he recognized her. 

 _Daphne Greengrass._ One of Pansy's friends. Her parents hadn't joined the Dark Lord when they'd been asked. Draco had known they'd been punished, but he had no idea that  _this_ was their fate. He vaguely wondered if any of them were still alive. The bloody footprints leading away from the body seemed to suggest so, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. A lot could happen in a week.

Draco went back into the room, searching around for anything that might help him. He found what appeared to be an old wooden crate, and after a bit of breaking and tearing a few strips from his shirt he managed to manufacture a sort of splint for his broken wrist. Then, picking up the torch again, he set off down the corridor again, looking at the floor ahead of him so he wouldn't have to see Daphne again. 

Draco soon came to a stop, listening hard. He could hear voices nearby. He bit his lip, setting the torch in a bracket and taking out the knife. Then he slowly walked forward, holding his breath. 

 "...freeze to death long before he gets out!" A gleeful, high-pitched voice whispered.  _Bellatrix._ Draco held the knife a little tighter. 

 _I can do this. Just go in there and finish her off. Quick. Her_ and _Rodolphus._

 He stepped toward the doorway, treading lightly. It seemed to take forever to cross the few feet between him and the door. 

 "If he even manages to get out," Draco heard Rodolphus say. "He's soft. Wouldn't last a minute against the Dementors." 

 "Oh, I've no doubt they'll have him out in no time at all. I suspect he'll put up a bit of a fight, too, though." 

Draco inhaled a deep breath, bracing himself and barely peeking into the room.  _Good._ Bellatrix and Rodolphus both had their backs to him. Wanting to waste no time, he charged into the room, dashing toward Bellatrix. At that moment, she turned around. 

Draco saw her eyes widen as, in a single quick movement, he plunged the knife into her chest. Bellatrix gasped, her nails clawing at Draco's face as he jerked away, pulling the knife out. In an instant Rodolphus had his wand aimed at Draco. Several hexes flew past Draco, one grazing his cheek and eye. Draco cried out dropping the knife, stumbling back, ducking around the doorway. Hearing Rodolphus charging for the doorway, Draco ran down the corridor. 

He didn't stop running until he was sure he had lost Rodolphus; he had run through countless corridors and ascended every staircase he could find. He had knocked his broken arm into the wall and doorways uncountable times, and he couldn't see from the eye that had been hit by Rodolphus's hex. His head ached horribly just behind that eye, too. He knew he would have to stop and rest soon, but he couldn't until he found a safe place. And that safe place was outside the Ministry. 

And so he kept running. He ran through the darkness, past barred rooms full of Dementors and Inferi. Through dim, empty offices, artificial windows long gone, so all that showed past them was dark earth. A skeleton or two the only sign the offices had been occupied at all. 

Finally, after what seemed like days, he reached the Atrium. He nearly laughed with relief, bracing himself on the wall to keep from falling. He stumbled to the box — what was it, a phone booth? It didn't matter. He pushed buttons at random until something clicked. There was a dull _clunk,_ and then Draco found himself leaning against the wall of the box as it rose up. 

When the box stopped moving, Draco slowly stepped out of it. He leaned against the building behind him, taking in deep gulps of the air. While definitely not fresh — he was right next to a road, for Merlin's sake — it felt good to take a breath and not choke on the ashes of countless other people. 

His relief was short lived, however. Within a matter of moments he had begun to feel lightheaded; his mouth was dry, and he could feel liquid dripping from his injured eye. When he put his hand up to his face, it came away red. For a moment he was too dazed to do anything; then came the realization that if he could get out, so could Rodolphus. Swallowing hard, Draco took off down the street, stopping at a corner. From the dim light he couldn't tell if it was night or early morning, but it scarcely mattered. The Knight Bus would still be running. He didn't have a wand, though; that was a problem.

He didn't have a wand. The realization took a moment to sink in.

No wand.

No protection. 

No parents to hide behind. 

Draco choked on the breath he'd taken.

 _No parents._ All his life he'd had them there. Depended on them.

Now...they were gone. Dead, or as good as. 

He had nobody, nothing, not even a Sickle to his name anymore. 

For the first time in his life, he was utterly alone. 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter three

Draco leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. The realization that he was all alone had hit him like a train. He took a deep breath and ran down the sidewalk, not stopping until he reached a house he recognized. 

 _Nott._ Judging by the lack of lights in the windows, nobody was home. Draco had figured out that it was indeed nighttime, and Theodore Nott would never be at home so early. Draco glanced around, and when he saw nobody watching, he hurried up the front steps and through the door. 

Passing Nott's wards would be easy. Draco had memorized every cursed floorboard and lamp from the time he was five years old. It took mere minutes for him to reach the stairs, and before much longer he was in the bedroom.

 _Spare wand._ Draco knew that Theodore's father had passed away a few months ago. It was bad form to take a dead wizard's wand, he knew, but...Theodore wasn't using it. And he'd return it as soon as possible. He just needed it long enough to Apparate. 

He searched through the wardrobes and drawers until he finally found what he was looking for on the mantelpiece. Draco inhaled, taking the wand out of its wooden holder carefully. Then he ran out of the house as quickly as he could possibly manage. 

When he had reached the street again, he glanced around once more before hurrying into an alley. 

He stopped at the end of the alley, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths. Then, focusing hard on his destination, he turned quickly on the spot.

He found himself at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Not wanting to waste any time, he pulled up the hood of his robe — Which by now was more a collection of rags with a hood on top — and walked into the dark, dingy pub.

Only a few customers sat at the tables, finishing off their drinks. The bartender — Draco had never bothered to remember his name, since he wasn't planning on being a customer anyway — looked up from the glass he was cleaning. Draco looked away, walking swiftly to the back door and stepping outside. 

Taking the stolen —  _Borrowed —_ wand out again, tapping it on the necessary bricks in the wall before him. Then he stood back as the bricks shifted, forming an archway. He hurried through before it closed again, and made his way down the dark, empty street.

Nearly all the shops were closed for the night, and some looked to be permanently, with boarded-up windows and dark doorways. Newspapers fluttered in the wind on a stand in front of one empty shop. Draco paused as he walked by, picking up a copy— he technically  _hadn't_ cancelled his subscription, so it wasn't  _really_ stealing — and looked at the headline. 

 **Malfoy family to be executed on Friday,** **by order of the Dark Lord Voldemort**

Draco swallowed hard, focusing on the day named instead of the article.  _Friday._ That made it somewhat easier. He turned the paper over to see what the date was, but a gust of wind pulled it from his hand. He groaned, walking across the street and kneeling to pick up the paper, but as he did the wind blew his hood down and he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the store window, nearly recoiling at the sight.

The whole right half of his face was covered in bloody burns and cuts. The area the curse had hit had turned blackish-red. Worst of all was the empty, bloody hole where his eye used to be. Draco choked back a sob, covering his mouth and leaning his head against the glass. 

 "Draco?" 

He looked up, half convinced he'd heard his mother speak. But...no, the reflection in the glass...

He whirled around, aiming the stolen wand. He stared in terrified silence at the woman before him. 

 "No," he choked out. You're...you can't be here. I saw you, I _stabbed_ you. How...how are you here?" 

The woman stepped closer, her wide eyes searching his face. Draco's hand shook as he tried to hold the wand steady. His heart was in his throat, and he was beginning to feel faint. 

 "I...I killed you," he said, stumbling backward to lean against the wall. "You shouldn't be here..." 

 "Draco, please calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." She rested a hand on his, gently pushing his arm down. "I'm not Bellatrix."

 Draco stared at her, nearly at the point of hyperventilating. When she reached out to touch his face, he couldn't help it; He fainted. 

 ***

 Draco had been awake for three minutes, and he still couldn't figure out where he was.

It wasn't the Ministry; wasn't the Manor;  _definitely_ wasn't Azkaban. 

So where was it? And why was it so... _clean?_ When Draco imagined a house where Bellatrix might live, his mind conjured images of bloodstained walls and broken windows, not... _lace curtains._

Draco sighed, nestling further down in the bed. The room was, mercifully, warm, but the clothes he had been wearing were nowhere to be seen, and the idea of walking about the room in only his underclothes in search of them was unappealing, for some odd reason. 

The door swung open and Draco heard footsteps, though they didn't sound like those of Bellatrix's high-heeled boots. Tensing up, he slowly looked towards the door. 

 "Oh, good, you're awake. I've brought you some clothes — I'm sorry, but your other ones were filthy, and couldn't be saved. These ones should fit — I asked Molly for some of Ron's that he hadn't worn in a while." 

 The woman looked up at Draco from the stack of folded clothes in her arms, and Draco recoiled; the woman looked very much like Bellatrix. But now, in the light, he could see that her cheeks weren't quite as hollow, her eyes less crazed. Her curly hair was, while still dark, a more subdued shade of dark brown, and didn't stick out from her head like she'd been struck by lightning, instead curling gently near her shoulders. Instead of an ill-fitting corseted dress she wore a light purple nightgown that didn't quite match her slippers. A large bag was slung over her shoulder. 

 "You hit your head pretty hard when you passed out. I would have brought you to St. Mungo's, but I'm wanted by the Ministry, so if I had shown up there we'd likely both be arrested." She sighed, setting the stack of clothes down and sitting at the edge of the bed. Draco flinched when she reached out to touch his face. 

 "Where am I?" he asked quietly. "Who are you?"

 "I'm your mother's sister. Andromeda. You're at my house."

Draco recalled his mother and father mentioning the name Andromeda a number of times — often scornful or mocking in tone, and mentioning a sister of Narcissa's who had married a Mudblood, but beyond that he didn't know much.  _She had a daughter, didn't she?_

 "Why did you bring me here?" he croaked, his throat feeling on fire. "I'm...you could have turned me in, or...or killed me." He looked up at her. 

 "I'm not going to harm an innocent." She pulled a bottle out of her bag. "I'll have to change the bandage on your eye. It's been a few hours..."

 "How long have I been here?" 

 "Just overnight." She sighed, reaching out and untying the bandage around his head. "I wasn't able to save the eye, but the bleeding's almost stopped. You're lucky the curse stopped at the eye." 

  _Lucky isn't exactly how I'd describe it,_ he thought, holding still as Andromeda trickled some cold, stinging substance into his empty eye socket before gently closing it.  _Essence of Dittany,_ his mind supplied.  _And something else. Probably a potion of some kind._

 "Now, stay still until that stops stinging." Andromeda stood up. "Your arm should be completely healed by now. I'll get you something to eat."

 "Thanks," he murmured, though he wasn't feeling very hungry. He still had that ache in his head, and his mouth was dry. 

 "I'll get you some water, too. You haven't had anything to drink in days, I'll bet..." Andromeda sighed. "A bath would do you good, too, but I'm afraid you'd pass out..." 

 "Yeah..." He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Probably."

 Andromeda sighed. "Do you think you can dress yourself and come downstairs?"

 "Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "I think so."

 "Good. I'll get you some breakfast. Try and relax." Andromeda walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. 

Draco sighed, pushing himself to a sitting position ~~\--~~ he was pleasantly surprised to find his arm had been mended ~~\--~~  and took a deep breath. He pushed off the covers and stood before pulling on a pair of jeans and, after weighing the options of going without a shirt versus wearing it, reluctantly pulled on the hideous maroon sweater. 

He walked out of the room, glancing around.  The rest of the rooms he passed had the same clean appearance and light curtains that light shone through. He could guess that it was probably late morning. He came upon staircase and slowly walked down, holding onto the banister tightly. In another room, he could hear Andromeda speaking to someone, and he paused at the foot of the stairs, listening.

"...and be quiet, please, he's tired. No, no, get that out of your mouth." Draco rounded a corner and saw Andromeda pulling a glass phial out of the grasp of a small, purple-haired child maybe a year old who was sitting on the kitchen counter and watching Andromeda cooking something. The child looked up as Draco walked into the small room, and it was immediately apparent that he was somehow related to Andromeda. 

 _That's the Lupins' kid,_ he realized with a pang of guilt. He remembered not so long ago thinking of the boy as just another half-breed to get rid of, a thought that now made Draco feel sick. He looked away, keeping the scarred side of his face angled away from the boy. 

"Draco, this is my grandson, Teddy." Andromeda gestured to the child, who was chewing ~~\--~~ or rather, gumming ~~\--~~ on an unpeeled banana with a curious look. Draco nodded slightly, trying to look interested, though Andromeda didn't seem to notice, already back to stirring the pan of eggs ~~\--~~ and what looked like slices of apples  ~~\--~~ that was on the stove.

Draco sighed, sitting down on the stairs in the corner and leaning on the door behind him, fiddling with the ends of the sweater's overlong sleeves as he looked out the window. He was then startled, a moment later, when Andromeda set Teddy on his lap. He stammered, looking up, but she was already out of the room. He heard a door open somewhere in the house, and voices. He sighed, adjusting Teddy so he wouldn't drop him, and stood, walking to the door and listening with his ear against it. He moved away as he heard footsteps approaching, and the door swung open not an inch away from hitting his shoulder. He stepped back, holding Teddy closer. Andromeda walked in, followed closely by a young witch ~~\--~~ probably 15 or 16 ~~\--~~ with dark hair cut unevenly at shoulder-length. Her sage-colored robe floated behind her as she walked into the kitchen, carrying several large bottles of something dark green and slimy-looking. Teddy let out an excited squeal when he saw her, and she turned, beaming, towards him.

"Teddy!" she exclaimed, and Draco took a step back, a breath catching in his throat as, for a moment, he thought Daphne stood in front of him. _But - ~~-~~ no, that isn't possible, _the logical part of his brain said. _It's not her. Daphne's blonde, remember? Her eyes were brown, not green._ He suppressed a shudder at the thought of Daphne's eyes, lifeless and staring. _And she's dead_.

 "Draco, this is Astoria." Andromeda waved a hand toward the young woman, who nodded slightly in acknowledgement. "She's been staying next door and helping me with Teddy." 

Draco nodded stiffly, taking another step backward.  _Astoria._ She'd been two years below him at Hogwarts. And she was Daphne's  _sister._ That certainly explained the similarity. Draco suddenly felt very, very sick as he remembered the footprints leading away from Daphne's body. 

He took a deep breath, holding his hand out to Astoria. "N-nice to meet you," he stuttered, his lungs already aching as he tried to keep his breathing even. Astoria shook his hand, giving him a quizzical look. To Draco's great relief, Andromeda shooed Astoria away and took Teddy, pushing a plate full of eggs and toast into Draco's hands and giving him a light nudge in the direction of the open door. He sighed, walking over to the small dining table and sitting down. 

He was only able to eat half of what was on his plate, but he felt significantly better afterwards, his headache subsided; he had a vague but grateful suspicion Andromeda had snuck in some sort of healing potion. He then went back to the room he had awoken in, lying down on the bed with his back toward the stand mirror in the corner. He felt a slight stinging sensation in his left arm, but pushed himself to ignore it, closing his remaining eye tightly and taking deep breaths. How long he laid awake in bed he didn't know, and he didn't notice when he started to drift off. For the first time in nearly seven months, he slept peacefully. 

 

 


	4. Chapter four

As a week passed Draco was finding himself more at ease. Astoria's visits still left him on edge, and Teddy was noisy at best, but the place gave Draco a sense of safety that he hadn't had in several years, and he was slowly starting to fit in. He was even getting used to Andromeda's unexpected visits from members of the Order of the Phoenix. Even though the visits were unbearably awkward and Draco often excused himself to his room after the first few minutes, he felt he was making great progress. 

Which is why he didn't think much of it when he heard Andromeda speaking to someone as he walked to the living room one morning to put Teddy down for a nap, so great was his surprise when he found Andromeda speaking with none other than Harry Potter.

 "...And there was definitely a—"

Potter broke off, his mouth moving but nothing coming out. Andromeda looked between the two of them, looking as though she regretted being born. 

 "Harry, you remember my nephew," she said defeatedly, waving a hand toward Draco, who was slowly backing out of the room. Teddy had spotted Potter, and was squirming around to escape Draco now. 

 "Yes," Potter said, his jaw set and his eyes narrowed. "I do."

 Andromeda nodded. "He's been staying here a while."

 Potter nodded, frowning. Draco bit his lip. 

 "I...I'll just take Teddy to his room. Sorry."

 "No, Draco, you can stay. It's fine," Andromeda said. Potter made a sound as if he disagreed, but Andromeda glared, silencing him, and held out her hands. Draco walked over, handing Teddy to her before sitting at the end of the couch. He crossed his arms, sighing, and tried to tune out the conversation going on beside him, focusing on the patterns in the carpet. 

 _That one looks like a sheep,_ he observed to himself.  _And that could be a cat...maybe a lion cub or some—_

"Draco?" Andromeda's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he suppressed a groan, looking up. As well as he was doing with conversation skills, Potter was a challenge he'd rather put off for a few weeks. Or a few years. Or forever. 

 "Yes?" he asked wearily. 

"Harry wants to know if he can speak to you."

Draco looked over at Potter, trying to gauge how likely it was that he could just say no. So far his chances were looking slim. 

"I don't know. _Can_ he?" Draco raised a brow, looking at Andromeda. She didn't look amused. 

 "Alright, fine." He stood, following Potter out of the room.  _Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?_

_***_

 "So," Potter said through gritted teeth, pacing the length of the small room. "You."

"Yes, me," Draco muttered, looking up tiredly at the low attic ceiling, wishing Potter had chosen somewhere less claustrophobic to talk.  _Of all the places in this house... "_ What did you want to speak about?"

 "Why you're here." Potter sounded annoyed, which was a small comfort to Draco.

"What do you mean, _'why I'm here'_? Last I checked, I don't answer to you." 

Potter glared at him. "Last I checked, you answered to the _Dark Lord_ ," he snapped, and Draco flinched, biting his lip. 

"Yes, well, that didn't exactly work out, as you can see."

 "Yes, I can see that." Potter stopped his pacing, looking right at Draco. "Why? Did You-Know-Who realize you're as much of a failure as your dad?" 

Something flipped inside Draco. He stalked across the room, shoving Potter against the wall. Potter's eyes widened, and he tried to struggle out of Draco's grip. 

 "Don't you _dare_ speak about my father. _Ever_ ," Draco hissed, gripping Potter's shoulders tightly. "You have no right."

 Potter glared at him defiantly, drawing his wand. "Let go of me. Now." 

 "You get the hell out of my life and stay out." Draco stepped back, his hands curled into fists. "And that wasn't a request." 

Potter glared at him, stalking across the room and disappearing down the ladder. Draco bit his lip, glaring after him.

When Draco walked downstairs, he could hear Andromeda arguing with Potter over something in the kitchen. He sighed and went to the living room, where Teddy sat on the floor rolling an empty bottle back and forth. He looked up when Draco walked in, tilting his head. Draco sat down, sighing, and picked up a book from the coffee table. A minute later Potter stormed through, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and stepping into the fireplace, disappearing in a moment. 

Andromeda walked in, sighing. "What happened?"

 Draco scoffed, closing his book. "Same as always. He was sticking his nose where it didn't belong, and got mouthy when I told him to stick it somewhere else." 

Andromeda frowned, but didn't say anything.

 "And it's not any of  _his_ business why I'm here," Draco muttered, crossing his arms. He knew he was being petulant, but he really,  _really_ did not care. Andromeda was silent for a while.

 "Harry thinks," she said finally, slowly. "that I should let Shacklebolt take you in for questioning."

 Draco looked up at her in disbelief. " _Questioning?_ For what?"

 "He thinks you might be able to give them the information they need to bring down the Dark Lord."

" _Information?_ I've been locked up for six months! I'm even more in the dark than you are!" Draco stood, his fists clenched at his sides. "If you think I'm going to  _help_ you — I don't owe you anything! Look at what happened to me!" He gestured to his scarred face. "You would have let me die!"

 Andromeda frowned. "Draco —"

"You let Daphne die! You let my _parents_ die, and hundreds of others, for what?" 

 Andromeda swallowed, looking guilty. "Draco, it was for the greater good of our cause. We  _had_ to wait, and gather more information —"

 " _Greater good?"_ Draco cut in, staring at her in disgust. "Do you know who you  _sound_ like?"

 Andromeda began to stammer a response, but Draco had already stormed out of the room. 

He slammed the door to his room, letting out a frustrated growl and punching the wall, hard. 

"Ow...!" he whimpered, glaring at the wall and clutching his now possibly broken fist. He inhaled sharply, muttering a few choice words under his breath, and sat on the bed. His hand hurt, but he wasn't going to Andromeda for help. No, he would be just _fine_ without help. 

***

 Draco woke early in the morning, and after verifying Andromeda was still asleep, quietly crept down to the kitchen. 

While he was searching through the freezer for the ice pack he  _knew_ was in there somewhere, he heard a shuffling sound behind him, but didn't think much of it — Andromeda had a cat, so it was probably just that. 

So it was an unpleasant surprise when he turned around and came face to face with Astoria Greengrass. 

 Draco gasped, stumbling backwards, muttering curses under his breath. Astoria covered his mouth, holding a finger up to her lips. 

 "Shh," she whispered. "I'm just dropping off some potions for Andromeda. Are you alright? What happened to your hand?" 

Draco shook her off, pushing past her and heading to the chest of drawers where Andromeda kept dish towels. "I'm fine."

Astoria followed him, to his chagrin, and grabbed his arm, examining his bruised knuckles. "Did you punch something?"

"I said I'm fine!" Draco snapped, jerking his arm out of her grasp; the sleeve of his shirt had slipped up, revealing a portion of the brand on his arm, the head of a snake just visible under several scratch marks. 

"I'm sorry," Astoria said quickly. "I can heal it, if you'd like." 

Draco sighed in relief — she hadn't seen the Mark. His relief lasted about three seconds. 

"I — mine hurt too. Lavender helps with the burning." She pulled up the sleeve of her dark blue robe, gradually revealing a mark — the same one that covered Draco's own forearm. Faded scratches crossed it as well, and the skin around it was rubbed raw. 

 "They — the Death Eaters — made me take it." Astoria's voice was quiet and serious for the first time in Draco's memory, and quivered as she continued. "Before they — Before they let us go. They wanted to chase us. Make a game of it. They branded us so they could let us know when they — whenever they were close."

 Draco's stomach twisted; he had heard the Death Eaters talking loudly outside his cell of such games, before he and his parents were moved to the courtroom prior to the — He couldn't bring himself to think _'execution'._

"That's sick," he forced out, feeling he needed to say _something_ — _anything_ , to fill the silence. 

Astoria sighed. "It wasn't so horrible after the first few hours. I just kind of got used to it." She plastered on a smile, but her eyes were watery. 

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "Typical me, bringing down the mood with my sob story." To his own surprise, Draco found himself shaking his head. 

 "Talking about it helps," he said. "I— I don't mind."

Astoria sighed. "No, really, I shouldn't be putting it on you, you've got enough to worry about. I — Normally I talk to myself about it," she said, looking embarrassed. Draco nodded, understanding. More than once he had found himself talking to the air late at night. 

 "I should go," Astoria said, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "I can heal your hand, if you want."

Draco blinked away his confusion. During their conversation he had forgotten the pain in his hand; Now it was back, and worse than ever. 

 "Thank you," he said quietly, holding his hand out to her. She held it,  palm down, and tapped her wand against the knuckles several times, murmuring an incantation. The pain subsided, and Draco could feel the bones clicking back into their proper place. Wiggling his fingers, he looked at Astoria, who was already putting her wand away. 

 "Would you like to stay?" he found himself saying, before he could catch himself. Astoria looked at him, surprise clear by her startled expression, which slowly melted to an apologetic grimace as she looked at her wristwatch. 

 "Oh, no, sorry. I have to get home, I've got a Calming Draught brewing and I can't leave it."

Draco nodded, something like disappointment settling inside him. "Alright, that's fine."

"I can come over later, if you want." Astoria looked up at him. "Or tomorrow. What do you prefer?" 

"Andromeda's out tomorrow," he said, shrugging. "I'd prefer then."

Astoria nodded, looking understanding. "She can be a bit overwhelming, can't she?" 

Draco nodded, sighing, and ran his newly healed hand through his hair. "No kidding..." 

There was a creaking sound from above, and both Draco and Astoria looked up. 

"I'd better go," Astoria said. "See you tomorrow." 

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Draco held up his hand. "Thanks for healing this."

She flashed him a smile. "Try not to break it again. I'll bring you something for your arm when I come over."

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "See you then."

"See you then." With a swish of navy blue robes, Astoria was gone. Draco glanced to the ceiling before heading back upstairs to his room. 

 


	5. Chapter five

"Draco, wake up..." Andromeda's voice roused Draco from what had formerly been a pleasant sleep. He groaned, cursing himself for keeping the door unlocked. Wait,  _had_ he locked the door? It seemed like it. He groaned again.

 "Draco, please. I'm going out today and I need you to watch Teddy for me." 

 _Oh, right. She is going out, isn't she?_ He sighed, moving the pillow from his face. "Alright, I'm getting up." 

 Andromeda nodded. "Breakfast is downstairs, and Astoria is stopping by to drop off some potions," she said, walking out and closing the door. Draco sighed, sitting up and dragging the covers back. 

 He looked through the small closet, surveying the assortment of maroon sweaters, faded jeans, and a handful of t-shirts that Andromeda had found in the attic that had belonged to Nymphadora, along with a single robe and cloak. After finally dressing in a t-shirt and some jeans that were slightly less threadbare than the rest, he went downstairs and nearly ran into Andromeda.

 "Breakfast is on the table," she said, ducking around him to reach a vial on the table beside him. "Give this to Teddy if he gets fussy, and remember to keep him away from the stairs."

 Draco nodded, taking the vial. Andromeda ruffled his hair, picking up her cloak. "Be careful, and make sure you get something for lunch, I'm not going to be back until late." 

 "Alright," he said. She sighed, kissing his forehead, and hurried out. He stared after her for a moment before heading upstairs to check on Teddy. 

***

Astoria appeared just before lunchtime, a basket full of vials and bottles over one arm. She smiled at Draco as she walked by, then positively _grinned_ when she saw Teddy in his arms. Teddy giggled, holding his arms out to her and nearly toppling out of Draco's grip. Astoria put down her basket, catching the child.

 "Tassy!" Teddy exclaimed, hugging Astoria tightly. She chuckled, kissing his head. 

 "Oh, how's my big boy?" Teddy responded with incoherent babbling, but Astoria nodded along. "Oh, really?" 

Draco sighed, looking at her. "We were just about to have lunch. Do you want anything?" 

 "Oh, what are you having?" Astoria asked, shifting Teddy to her hip.

 "Well, Teddy is having a bottle, and you and I, if you want, will be having..." He glanced over his shoulder into the kitchen. "Tangerines and hard-boiled eggs."

Astoria smiled. "I'd be delighted." She ruffled Teddy's lime-green hair, earning a lopsided grin from the child that showed all three of his teeth. Draco smiled a little, already glad he'd invited Astoria over. 

***

Draco sat on the couch in the living room, sitting still as possible while some mind-numbingly boring Muggle film about a bear of very low intelligence (or something of that sort) played on the television set. Teddy's bright yellow head rested on his chest, drool dripping from his mouth, while Astoria snored on his shoulder. He looked up in alarm when he heard the front door creak open, then sighed in relief when it was only Andromeda. 

 "Everything alright?" she asked quietly, setting a wooden box and several parcels on the table and walking into the living room. He nodded, though in his opinion having his best shirt (not that that was saying much) covered in baby slobber wasn't very alright with  _him._

 "Do you need me to take Teddy?" 

He shook his head. "I don't want to wake him," he said, then gestured to Astoria. "Or her." 

Andromeda nodded. She sighed, looking at the television and giving Draco a pitying glance. 

 "Dreadfully boring, isn't it?" she said. He nodded. She smiled a little. 

 "I'll be making dinner. Oh, and a friend of mine asked if you'd mind visiting for a while tomorrow, he said he could help you with a new wand."

Draco's heart leapt; he hadn't used a wand since the night Andromeda found him; he'd lost Theodore's father's wand when he passed out. The thought of having a new one, his  _own,_ was almost enough for him to forgive Andromeda for trying to make him go in for questioning. Almost. 

 "Okay," he said. Andromeda smiled and walked out. Draco sighed, looking over at Astoria and nudging her head with his shoulder. She grunted, opening her eyes and looking up at him. 

 "What?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not changing Teddy again."

 "Andromeda's back." 

 Astoria swore. "I meant to leave before she got back. Sorry."

 "It's fine." Draco smiled a little, offering his hand. She took it and he stood, pulling her up off the couch. 

 "Thanks," she said, sighing and brushing wrinkles out of her burgundy robes. "I'm gonna go."

 "Alright. See you later."

"See you later." She smiled, kissing Teddy's head and ruffling Draco's hair. He could feel his face growing warmer as she turned and walked away. 

After the front door closed, he let go of the breath he'd been holding. "Well then," he said quietly, and went to the kitchen,where Andromeda was calling for him to help with dinner. 


	6. Chapter six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the Google-translated French

"Stay close, Draco," Andromeda whispered as she held tightly to Draco's wrist, guiding him quickly through the narrow alleys and winding passages. He followed her, despite his increasingly frozen feet already growing numb.

 "Are we almost there?" he asked, anxiously glancing around. He glanced away quickly after making eye contact with a threatening-looking witch standing in an alley as they passed; Andromeda walked a little faster. 

 "Almost," she assured him, taking him down another cramped alley, this one piled with what appeared to be tree branches. Andromeda walked to the end of the alley, knocking on the brick wall that closed it off.

Almost out of nowhere a doorway appeared from the wall, and Andromeda beckoned Draco forward. 

 "Go in," she urged, gently pushing him toward the doorway. He glanced at her for a moment before walking in. Andromeda stepped in beside him.

 "Hello?" she called. "Mr. Ollivander?"

 Draco froze, his breath catching in his throat.  _Ollivander._ It was just his luck, wasn't it? To be visiting the man his parents had  _imprisoned_ for a year. 

 "Come in, come in," a quiet voice said, and the dark space Draco stood in was illuminated by a soft blue glow. 

A shadow in the corner moved, and Draco watched as, slowly, the old man stepped forward into the light, his sunken silver eyes twinkling in his thin face. 

 "Ah. I was told you would be here soon, master Malfoy." A small smiled appeared on the old man's lips, and he walked slowly over to a small stack of boxes that was stacked upon a chair at the end of the room. 

 "Yes, sir?" Draco said, biting his lip. He clenched his fists, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide their shaking. He was thankful for the hood of his cloak hiding his scarred face. 

 "Your first wand...Hawthorn and unicorn hair, ten inches and pliant, was it not?" The old man looked at Draco, who nodded in confirmation. The man nodded his head. "Well suited for healing magic. Did you ever get it back?"

 "No, sir, that's why I'm here," Draco muttered, looking at the floor. 

 "He needs a new wand," Andromeda said impatiently. "Can you find him one?"

 Ollivander looked amused. "Wands are not simple, or something to rush with." He drew out his own wand, and flicked it towards a measuring tape that lay on the floor. It immediately began rushing around Draco, taking measurements on its own. Meanwhile, Mr. Ollivander picked out several boxes from the stack, placing them on a shelf by the door. He flicked his wand again and the measuring tape stilled, falling to the floor. 

 "Try out...this wand. Ash and Phoenix feather. Eleven-and-a-half inches." He held the wand out toward Draco, who took it, and began to wave it; it was quickly taken away, however. 

 "Not right at all...this one."

 This continued on for some time, until there were only three or four wands left in the stack to try. 

 "Perhaps...this one. Willow and unicorn hair, thirteen inches. Firm."

 Draco reached for the wand, his fingers shaking from the cold that seeped in through the thin walls, but when he touched the handle of the wand, warmth spread through his hand. He took a deep breath, holding the wand loosely and giving a small wave. Silver sparks showered from the end of the wand, and Ollivander smiled. 

 "Willow wands often choose owners with unrealized potential," he told Draco as Andromeda paid for the wand. "You might very well do great things with this wand."

 Draco sighed, disagreeing but too tired to protest. "Thank you," he murmured instead, holding onto the wand and pulling his hood back up from where it had slipped down. He followed Andromeda back out into the alley, holding onto her wrist as she Disapparated. Within moments, the snowy alley was disappearing in a whirl of dull color.

***

Draco leaned against the side of the house for several minutes after they arrived home, trying to shake off the dizziness, headache and nausea that came with Apparating. He took deep breaths, bracing his forehead and hands against the cool plastic siding. This did not help, instead making him feel dizzier, but the alternative was laying in the snow. He told Andromeda to go in without him, he'd be in in a few minutes. 

He then proceeded to sit down ungracefully in the deep snow beside the porch, thankful for the tall hedges in front of the house. 

 _I'm never Apparating again,_ he thought, laying his aching head back against the porch pillar.  _Why didn't it hurt this badly the first time? Ugh._

"Monsieur?" 

Draco looked up, coming nearly face-to-face with a girl of about twelve, with long silvery hair and deep blue eyes. Her brows were furrowed, a look of concern on her face. 

 "Yes?" he said warily, running a hand through his hair. "May I help you?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by an older woman's voice. 

 " _Gabrielle!_ Que fais-tu? S'éloigne de là!" 

Draco looked up just in time to see a rather angry-looking woman bearing a striking resemblance to the girl, aiming a wand at him. The girl backed away, and the woman walked forward, her wand pointed at his forehead. 

"What are you doing 'ere?" she asked with a heavy French accent, and Draco was uncomfortably reminded of Fleur Delacour, a beautiful but rather terrifying girl he'd seen compete in the Triwizard Tournament when he was fourteen; he felt a pit grow in his stomach as he realized that was  _exactly_ who he was looking at, and being threatened by. 

"I — I'm —"

"Fleur, please refrain from terrifying my nephew," Andromeda said calmly, stepping off the porch. "I don't need the neighbors asking questions."

"Andromeda, 'e is a Death Eater," Fleur said, pointing at Draco with her wand; several hit blue sparks shot out a little too close to his face for his liking. 

 "He's my nephew, and I'd like him to keep his remaining facial features." Andromeda looked at Draco, sighing. "Draco, would you stand up? You're going to freeze."

 Draco stood, shaking, and brushed the snow off the woolen robes Andromeda had lent him. Fleur was still glaring daggers at him, but her wand was no longer pointed at him. He took this as a good sign. 

 "'E is still a Death Eater," she said, scowling at him. "I do not understand why you would want to protect the likes of him."

"Trust me, I don't either," Draco muttered. Andromeda rolled her eyes. 

 "All of you, come inside," she said. "I don't want to leave Astoria with my grandson any longer than necessary." 

 Fleur sighed heavily, muttering under her breath as she followed Andromeda inside." _C'est Andromeda tout chraché_. Elle prend tous les idiots de la rue sans poser des questions." 

 Draco rolled his eye, walking up beside her as he entered the house and whispering, _"Je peux comprendre le français, tu sais."_ She shot him a scathing look, strutting off toward the kitchen with Gabrielle. 

Astoria wandered into the dining room a minute later, holding Teddy. "Fleur sounds mighty pissed off. What'd you do?"

"Exist, apparently." Draco shrugged helplessly, looking at Teddy. "Did he behave?"

Astoria grimaced. "More or less. You might find a few of the books a bit chewed up." She shifted Teddy to her hip, looking at him. "That was a naughty thing to do, wasn't it, Teddy? Teddy? Teddy, no..." She trailed off, correcting her grip on the child as he tried his latest escape strategy: Leaning back so far that his holder lost grip on him. Draco reached out, pushing Teddy back to an upright position. Teddy grumbled, burying his face in Astoria's hair, his previously light pink hair shifting to match her dark brown. 

"How did your shopping go?" Astoria asked, looking up at Draco.

He smiled a little, standing up straighter. "I got a new wand." 

 Astoria stifled a chuckle, and felt his face turn red. "Did you?" Astoria asked, sounding amused. "I never would have guessed."

 "Shut up," Draco muttered, rolling his eye. "I'm not telling  _you_ any more."

 "What ever will I do without the  _thrilling_ details of your shopping trip?" Astoria rolled her eyes, pushing Draco's shoulder. "You're so dramatic. Lighten up, it's the only way you're gonna make it around here." 

 "Shut up." 

 "Draco, will you come help me with dinner?" Andromeda leaned through the kitchen door, the flour smudges on her face contrasting with her dark hair. "We've got company coming." 

Draco sighed heavily. "Great." _That'll mean another evening of hiding out in my room._ He sighed, walking into the kitchen. "What are we making?" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Approximate) Translations: 
> 
> Que fais-tu? S'éloigne de là! - What are you doing? Get away from there!
> 
> C'est Andromeda tout chraché. Elle prend tous les idiots de la rue sans poser des questions. - Typical Andromeda. Take any idiot who wanders in the street, without asking any questions!
> 
> Je peux comprendre le français, tu sais. - I can understand French, you know.


	7. Chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Google translated French (this warning now applies to any given chapter from now onward)

_I'm going to kill everyone at this table,_ Draco decided as Harry Potter elbowed him in the side _yet again_ to get his attention. He ground his teeth, making a point of looking at Astoria instead of at Potter. Potter sighed heavily, and Draco heard him turn back toward Andromeda. 

 "We've gotten news from one of our inside men that Bellatrix has been injured. Someone stabbed her a few weeks ago, and she's been moved to a secondary location for her recovery. Nobody really knows who did it, but it's good news for us. We've also got a few high-profile  prisoners who we think will give us a bit of leverage."

Draco felt eyes focused intently on him, and looked at Andromeda. She was staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes, one eyebrow raised. 

 "How interesting," she said, before looking away and reaching over to feed Teddy. "No one knows who did it, you say?"

 "No, though we do have some leads. We found several bodies when we raided the Ministry last week, but there were signs at least one person got out. The bodies are being identified at HQ." Potter spoke calmly, taking another sandwich from the tray in the middle of the table. "We think we've identified one as Daphne Greengrass."

 Astoria's fork clattered on the table and her chair nearly fell over as she stood, her face composed but her hands shaking. 

 "Please excuse me," she said, before quickly walking outside, the door slamming shut behind her.

An uncomfortable silence fell over those who remained at the table. Andromeda was glaring at Potter, and the Delacour sisters were looking awkwardly at the floor. Potter glanced around the table before clearing his throat. "Sorry," he said weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't think —"

 "Keen observation," Draco snarled, pushing his chair back and standing, "but I think we all figured that out." He turned on his heel, grabbing his cloak from its hook and walking outside.

He found Astoria in the side yard, sitting on a snow-covered swing. Her face was turned away from him, but he could see her shoulders shaking slightly, and her hand covering her mouth. Her nails on her other hand dug into the swing's armrest, and he could see her fingertips turning red from the cold. 

 "Astoria?" he said quietly, and she seemed to freeze, before running a hand over her face and turning to look at him. 

 "What?" she croaked, her reddened eyes swimming with tears. Her hands looked stiff as she reached up to wipe away the tears. 

 "I...it's cold out here," he held his cloak out to her, sighing. "I didn't want you to freeze..." 

 She eyed him, her lip trembling as she shifted, facing him. "I-I'm fine."

 Draco sighed, walking closer. "You're still cold." He laid his cloak on the swing beside her. "You're also crying," he added, looking into her eyes. She looked down at her hands, now clasped in her lap. "Do you want to talk?" 

She shook her head, slowly reaching over and pulling his cloak over her shoulders. "I just need a minute...thank you for the cloak," she added, sniffing. "I'll be in in just a few minutes."

 Draco glanced back at the house, sighing. "I'd wait until after Andromeda finishes lecturing him."

 Astoria nodded slightly. "Okay," she said faintly. Draco sighed, turning and heading back inside. 

He stepped into the house and was met by a cacophony of crying and shouting that made him cringe.

 "Est-ce qu'elle va bien?" Fleur asked when she met him at the door, evidently having decided he wasn't a threat. He nodded slightly, pressing his lips together. 

 "Elle a besoin de quelques minutes seule," he replied after a moment in a low voice. "Any reason we're using French now?"

 "I'd rather 'Arry did not listen," she replied, pulling a face. "He eez not ze most tactful, even if 'e is stupidly brave."

 "I doubt he'll hear over this shouting," he said, gesturing around at the air. "You've got the stupid part right," he added under his breath. 

 "What?" Fleur asked, frowning. He shook his head. 

 "Nothing," he replied, sighing. "Where's Andromeda?"

 "She is giving 'Arry a lecture. I am 'oping it will stop soon, the shouting is giving me a headache, and Teddy weel not stop crying." She shuddered. "Bill tells me 'is family are often loud babies. I enjoy children, but I 'ave mixed feelings about _zat_."

 Draco nodded, feeling rather awkward with the subject matter — he wouldn't be particularly happy about having children with a Weasley either, but was he supposed to _say_ that? "Of course. I'm going to go take care of Teddy now," he said, pointing toward the living room, where the crying seemed to be coming from. He hurried off, relieving a grateful Gabrielle of the screaming child, and attempted to calm said child down. 

As he walked through the house, humming quietly to soothe Teddy, he noticed a newspaper lying amongst the groceries Andromeda had not yet put away. Curious, he unfolded it and looked at the front page; he dropped it, however, when he read the headline:

**LESTRANGE CHILD MISSING, DARK LORD**

**DEPLOYS SEARCH FORCES TO LOCATE HEIR**

Draco suddenly felt sick, but forced himself to read on. He looked over the moving picture heading the article; a dark-haired baby in the arms of an austere-looking woman in an old-fashioned but likely very expensive gown, who was glaring at the camera while the baby squirmed in her arms. The caption below read,

_**Delphini Lestrange, heir to The Dark Lord - pictured here with caretaker Euphemia Rowle.** _

Draco shuddered slightly, unfolding the paper so he could read the article. 

_It was reported this morning that, among several high-profile Death Eaters, Dephini "Delphi" Lestrange, daughter and heir of the Dark Lord Voldemort and second-in-command Bellatrix Lestrange, has disappeared. The child, only a year old, was last seen with her caretaker, Euphemia Rowle (it is reported that Rowle will be executed for failure to carry out her protective duties)._

_It is believed that the child's disappearance (as well as those of the missing Death Eaters) are the work of the anti-purist terrorist group known as the Order of the Phoenix, among whom are such dangerous individuals as Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. As of yet, the Dark Lord's forces have made little progress in finding the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, leading many to believe they are using multiple safe houses, spread throughout the country (and possibly the continent)._

_Any information that may aid in the location and return of the child may be sent to Rodolphus Lestrange (readers are reminded that the Ministry of Magic are monitoring owls and inspecting all letters and parcels sent by owl)._

Draco put down the paper just as Andromeda walked in, followed by a highly mortified-looking Harry Potter. 

 "Draco, where is Astoria?" Andromeda asked. He bit his lip, pushing the newspaper away. 

 "She's outside," he said, his voice coming out rather higher than he would have preferred. He cleared his throat, looking at the floor. "She said she'd be back in a few minutes."

 "Alright," Andromeda said, frowning. "Are you okay? You look rather shaken."

 "I'm fine," he said, sighing and shifting Teddy (who had quieted down some time earlier) onto his hip. "Just been reading the news." 

 "Oh." Andromeda's tone changed. "Yes, about that..."

 "Was anyone planning on telling me Bellatrix had a child, or was I supposed to simply read that in the news myself?" Draco asked, gesturing toward the table where the paper lay. 

 "In all fairness, I didn't know until I read that. The Order don't tell me much, and as you don't have clearance yet, I often can't tell you anyway."

Draco sighed heavily. "Alright. Good to know I'm not the only one out of the loop... _Was_ it the Order who took _...it?_ "

"We did take  _her,_ if you must know," Potter grumbled. "She's a child. We're not leaving her to grow up in  _that."_

"Oh,  _that's_ why? Not because she'd make a good bargaining chip?" Draco scowled. "Judging by my experience with your lot, it'd be the latter."

Potter rolled his eyes. "You think I, of all people, would do that? I'm the one who organized the raid. I'm taking her somewhere safe, and making sure her... _parents_ won't find her."

"Whose parents?" 

Astoria stood in the doorway of the dining room, bundled in Draco's cloak. She stepped inside, shutting the door. Andromeda and Potter both looked at her, then at Draco. 

"I...er...figure now's as good a time as any to explain the whole plan." Potter clapped his hands together, giving a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Living room, everyone?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> est-ce qu'elle va bien? - is she okay?
> 
> Elle a besoin de quelques minutes seule - She needs a few minutes alone


	8. Chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, I wanted to get things moving along quickly!

A Weird Sisters record played faintly in the kitchen as the group sat in the living room. Andromeda and Harry sat in armchairs by the fire together, having just finished explaining their plan to Draco and Astoria, sat on the couch together, while Teddy slept on the couch. Fleur and Gabrielle sat in the corner, observing silently. 

 "Let me get this straight," Astoria said, raising her head from her hands. "You want  _me_ to  _take in_ the  _daughter_ of You-Know-Who _himself?_ "

 "He doesn't know you're alive," Potter pointed out. "He'll never look for her with you. And, since Andromeda's your Secret-Keeper, even if he did know she was with you, he'd never find you."

 "I have potions to make!" Astoria said shrilly. "I can't brew potions with a baby crawling around! That's insanity!" 

 "I'm sorry, but we don't have any other options," Potter said. "Fleur would do it, but she's taking in Gabrielle for the time being. And besides that, Bill's a high-profile target for the Death Eaters. Apart from them, you and Andromeda are all we've got, and Andromeda already has two babies to take care of." Potter shot a flare toward Draco, which Draco returned easily. Astoria rolled her eyes. 

 "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "I'm not doing this!"

 ***

 "That child is a nightmare," Astoria moaned as she settled onto the couch beside Draco. It was Monday night, a week after a member of the Order of the Phoenix had delivered Delphini to Astoria's house. Andromeda was on another supply run, so Astoria had come over to keep Draco company while he watched Teddy, and had brought "The Nightmare" with her. 

 "Can you believe you're related to _that?"_ she asked, gesturing to the playpen where the two children were grappling over a blanket. 

 "I can't tell which kid you're referring to," Draco said dryly. "They seem equally noisy right now."

 Astoria rolled her eyes. "I'm glad to get a break," she sighed, reaching for the bowl of crisps on the end table beside her. "I thought my brother was difficult..."

 Draco looked at her in surprise. "I...didn't know you had a brother," he said quietly. 

 "I  _have_ a brother," she corrected. "He's staying in Greece with my aunt. He's turning right next month," she said, somewhat wistfully. "I'm working on a potion to send him, and I've put together a quilt using the clothes I've accidentally ruined making said potion." She gave a small smile, looking into the distance, but it faded quickly.

"I hope I'll be able to see him soon...Andromeda offered to pay for to send me down to visit him, but the Order thought it was too risky. Guess they didn't want to lose their precious  _Potions Master,"_ she said bitterly, shoving several crisps in her mouth at once. "So he's coming up here. As soon as I can get an appeal through to the Order. They don't think it's a great idea to be bringing people into the country at such a time."

Draco nodded and looked over at Teddy and Delphi, who seemed to have settled their dispute over the blanket by throwing it  out of the playpen. Draco sighed, standing, and retrieved the blanket, hanging it on the quilt rack in the corner. 

 "Teddy's the closest to a sibling I have," he said, sitting back down. "At least, I _think_ he is. I wouldn't really know."

 Astoria chuckled. "You act like a big brother to him," she said. "It's impressive, considering you didn't have any siblings growing up."

 Draco raised a brow. "Really? I'm mostly going off instinct and common sense."

 "Really." Astoria smiled a little. "You're surprisingly good with kids."

Draco looked down, running a hand through his hair, and tried to ignore the heat spreading across his face. "I'll keep that in mind, then," he said. "It'll come in handy on my résumé, at any rate. Maybe I can get a babysitting job."

 "What, you don't want your own kids?"

 "Of course I want kids, but the chances of it happening are fairly slim," he pointed out. "Unless you know of a witch who's interested in one-eyed, fugitive ex-Death Eaters, in which case please provide me with an owl address."

 Astoria shrugged. "I wouldn't mind, honestly," she said, before seeming to realize exactly  _what_ she had said; she froze, her face turning very pale and then very red. A silence fell over the room, broken only by the babbling of the two infants in the playpen. 

 "I— I meant in general," Astoria said, far too many moments later. "I'd be fine with it in general. Not you specifically. I mean, that is, I'd be fine with you. Or anyone. As long as he was nice — _kind_ , not just nice, and — and helpful, and caring and — sorry." She abruptly cut herself off, and Draco sighed. 

 "It's fine, it isn't your fault I was born with such charisma and looks." 

Astoria glared at him, punching his shoulder. "Shut up," she muttered, her face bright red. She fell silent again, watching Teddy and Delphi quietly. For about twenty seconds.

 "Want to watch _Grease_? _"_ she asked.

 "Sure."


	9. Chapter nine

Days seemed to pass by in a blur, and before Draco knew it, it was almost New Year. Andromeda had received a coded owl from a member of the Order, informing her of their monthly meeting in two days. For the first time, however, she proposed that Draco come with her. 

 "No." 

Draco stood across from Andromeda, his arms crossed. 

 "Draco, it won't be so b—"

 " _No."_ Draco scowled. "I am not spending two days in a house with  _Weasley."_

 "It won't be that bad," Andromeda said. "Astoria will be there. And Teddy."

 "And  _Granger._ You know she slapped me once? She'd probably gouge my other eye out if she saw me again."

 Andromeda sighed. "Draco, you have to come. You're not self-sufficient at all, and I'd rather not come home to a pile of rubble and you starving."

 He scowled. Partially because he was insulted, but mostly because he knew she was right. "I'm not going."

 Andromeda sighed. "Alright. I was going to ask for clearance for you, so you'd be an official member, but that would require you meet the senior members at the meeting and appeal to them."

 "Who said I wanted to be a member?" Draco challenged.

Andromeda was silent for several moments, then sighed. "If you don't have clearance, you won't be able to stay here. It's a new rule they implemented last week — I tried to appeal against it but I was outvoted."

 Draco stared at her.  _"What?"_

"Harry let slip that I had a non-member living with me — He didn't say who — and the others decided it was too risky. Astoria already has clearance —"

 "So if I don't go, you'll throw me out?" Draco interrupted. "That's  _entirely_ fair. I wasn't aware you lot went by the rules."

 "Draco, if you would just come with me —"

 "What, and be rejected _officially?_ No thank you." He scowled. "I'd just as soon—"

 "You have a chance," Andromeda interrupted. "Severus — he knows. He'll vouch for you."

 " _Snape?"_ Draco exclaimed in disbelief. "Snape is dead."

 "Not so dead as you thought. Snake bites aren't always fatal."

 "But — Snape worked for our — I mean,  _His_ side!"

 "And ours," Andromeda said calmly. "He's been a valuable asset for us."

 "What, did you kidnap  _him_ too?" Draco asked dryly. Andromeda shot him a stern look. 

 "He's been a double agent for more than seventeen years, since the first war against You-Know-Who."

Draco shook his head, sighing. "Why am I even surprised at this point?" he muttered. "You know what? Fine. I'll go. But I'm not sharing a room with Ronald Weasley," he stated firmly. 

Andromeda smiled. "Of course. I doubt he'd let you." 

 "Good."

***

Draco, Andromeda and Teddy arrived by Portkey on  a dark, deserted Muggle street. Without wasting time, Andromeda walked on, leaving Draco no choice but to follow with Teddy, wrapping his heavy cloak around both of them against the cold and pulling his hood up.   

Andromeda pricked her finger on a dead rose bush in a nearby flowerbed, and swiped her bleeding finger over the edge of the sidewalk before grabbing Draco's hand. 

In the second while Draco looked at Andromeda, there was a rumbling sound; he looked up, and in between the houses numbered 11 and 13, a whole new house appeared, a bronze number "12" above the door. 

Andromeda pulled Draco and Teddy forward, to the front doorstep. She smeared a little of her blood on the door, just below the serpent-shaped door knocker. The door creaked open, and Andromeda sighed. 

 "I wish they'd kept the original system, but the Death Eaters figured it out too easily," she said in a hushed voice as she pushed the door open the rest of the way. "Go in, and keep quiet," she warned. 

Draco stepped over the threshold into the dark house. Andromeda stepped in behind him, closing the door; for several seconds they stood in total darkness, until Draco heard Andromeda draw her wand, and the old-fashioned gas lamps along the walls flickered to life with a soft hissing sound. 

 "Quiet," Andromeda reminded Draco as she walked off down the gloomy hallway. He followed her, pausing on occasion to peruse the portraits that hung on the walls, their subjects gazing drowsily at him from their aged, tarnished frames. 

 "Draco, hurry up," Andromeda called in a half-whisper from the end of the hall. Draco hurried to her side, stopping in front of a door on the right of a large set of old curtains, and across from a dark, rather rickety-looking staircase. 

 "Andromeda, where are we?" Draco asked, glancing around. "These portraits — I've seen them before, at the Manor in my mother's sitting room."

 Andromeda, who seemed to be struggling with the door, nodded her head distractedly. "Old family home. My aunt and uncle lived here with their boys."

 _Their boys...?_ Draco frowned. "You mean Regulus, and —"

 "Sirius. My most tolerable relative." Andromeda smiled. "Second-Best Man at mine and Ted's wedding. That's what he called it, anyway — said 'Man of Honor' was too stuffy."

 Draco nodded slowly. "So the Order Headquarters...?"

 "There wasn't really another place big enough," Andromeda explained, giving the door a hard shove. "Ah! There it is," she said with a smile when the door gave a loud  _click._ She turned the knob, pushing the door open. "Go in," she said, gesturing to the awaiting room. 

Draco stepped through the doorway, his head low as he glanced around the room. So far, it seemed none of the room's chattering inhabitants had noticed his presence except for Astoria, who waved to him from the other end of the room. Delphi, who had been squirming in her arms, turned around, waving at him — or probably Teddy — with a lopsided grin on her chubby face. 

Andromeda stepped in behind him, closing the door, and cleared her throat loudly. The chattering in the room died down. Several heads —  all of them red — turned toward her. She smiled, resting a hand on Draco's shoulder. 

"I'd like to introduce my neph— _Draco, take off your hood, would you? —_ My nephew," she said, sounding far too confident in Draco's opinion. 

He slowly reached up, drawing his hood back and glancing up at the group of witches and wizards sat around the table, still keeping his head down. 

There was a silence filled with tension so thick you could cut it with a  _diffindo;_ Then hell broke loose. 

"Are you out of your bloody  _mind?"_ one Weasley shouted; Draco thought it might be the female, but he couldn't be sure with all the shouting going on. 

"Settle down, would you?" Andromeda said calmly, taking out her wand. "I will use this."

"Andromeda, do you know who that  _is?"_ another Weasley said incredulously —  _that_ one Draco was  _sure_ was the female. 

 "I'm quite well aware who he is, Ginny," Andromeda replied. "He's my nephew, a mediocre cook, and hopefully the newest member of the Order."

 "Andromeda, with all due respect," — Ah,  _there_ was Granger — "I'm not sure this is your best idea." 

Draco would have agreed with her had he not been facing what looked like the entire Weasley clan in one room; They were all glaring at him, and he strongly suspected that, had he not been holding Teddy, every wand in the room would be aimed at his chest.

"I am quite sure in my decision, Hermione," Andromeda said coolly. "If you're so against it, I suggest taking it up with a senior member."

 Draco saw Granger's face turn pink, and she sat down, looking abashed. Andromeda gave him a nudge forward, clearing her throat. 

 "Go ahead and introduce yourself," she said, all too brightly. Lowering her voice, she added, "Stand up straight."

 Draco sighed, lifting his head and looking around at everyone for the first time; Loud, shocked gasps broke out around the room, along with exclamations ranging from a subtle "Oh, Merlin..." to the far less subtle whisper-shout of "Blimey! Lookit his eye, mate!"

 "Quiet," Astoria snapped, and the noise died down; Draco smiled at her gratefully before he began speaking. 

"I, uh...I'm Draco Malfoy. Andromeda's nephew. I don't want to be here any more than y— _OW!"_ He scowled at Andromeda, who was looking around the room innocently, as if she hadn't just stomped on his foot. Irritated, he turned to address the room again. "I think that about sums it up," he finished, stepping back. 

 "How'd you end up here, eh?" a voice unmistakably belonging to Ronald Weasley bluntly inquired. "I thought we had some kind of standards here."

"Evidently not, if you're here," the female Weasley — what _was_  her name? Jennifer? Guinevere? — snapped to her brother. "I would like to know too, however."

 "Leave him alone," Astoria said, scowling. "It's not any of  _your_ business. Unless one of the seniors says so, he doesn't have to tell you anything."

She must have been correct, for the Weasleys all grumbled irritably, and Draco did not miss the grudging death-glares sent his way. 

"Now, will you lot be quiet and let Andromeda speak?" Astoria said, much more calmly. 

"Thank you, Astoria," Andromeda said, "but I was just introducing my nephew...though it seems that was unnecessary."

Draco shifted uncomfortably, and busied himself with picking up Teddy's pacifier that had fallen on the floor. When he straightened up, however...

"What're you doing with my kid, Malfoy?" a new, unfamiliar voice said from behind him. He turned around, coming face-to-face with someone he'd only seen in photographs, someone with dark teal-green hair that matched that of the baby in his arms. 

Teddy grinned, bouncing excitedly and reaching out.

"Mummy!"

 

 

 


	10. Chapter ten

"Nymphadora?" Draco exclaimed in shock. "But —"

 "I'm dead?" The woman raised a turquoise eyebrow. "Not as dead as you thought, apparently," she said dryly. "And it's Tonks," she added irritably as she took Teddy from Draco. "Call me Nymphadora again and you'll find yourself missing your other eye."

 Draco nodded quickly, looking nervously at Andromeda. She stepped forward, frowning. 

 "Dora, don't scare him," she admonished, looking sternly at her daughter. "He didn't know any better."

 Tonks gave a short laugh, looking unamused. "Nobody ever does." She looked at Teddy, her scowl melting into a smile. "Have you been a good little boy for grandmama? Have you? Really?"

 Draco glanced at Andromeda, then back to Tonks. "How are you _alive?_ The Dark Lord had you executed!"

"Same could be asked of you," she retorted. "Your execution was supposed to be the day after mine."

 He frowned. "I got out. But if you had escaped the day before, they would have been on alert —" 

 "Nah, I got out ages before my execution date," she said calmly, now making faces at Teddy to make him laugh. "I reckon they thought I'd died by then, most escapees did." She glanced at Astoria. "There are some exceptions."

 "How did you escape?" Draco asked, looking her over. It didn't seem as if she'd retained any injuries — though he supposed she could use her abilities to conceal any. But...Her sleeves were rolled up, and he doubted even Metamorphmagus _(O_ _r would that be Metamorphmaga?,_ he wondered) abilities could cover up a Dark Mark, so she hadn't gotten out the same way as Astoria...

 "They were moving me from my cell to the execution room. I caused a distraction, changed to look like one of them, and ran out in all the confusion. Managed to sneak out pretty easily."

 Draco blinked, nodding slowly, impressed. "Wow...how long have you been out?"

 "Around three months," she replied. "I can't exactly say where I've been —"

 "Romania, living on  _my_ sofa." The door swung closed behind yet another Weasley, this one tanned and covered with what looked like burns. 

Tonks sighed. "Yes," she muttered weakly. "Remus and I have been hiding out."

 "And by  _hiding_ out you mean  _making_ out." His freckled face was twisted into a grimace. "Had to bring them here to stop them, we don't need _another_ Teddy."

 "We are married, you know," Tonks said, glaring at the newcomer. "I think I've got a right to kiss my husband."

He rolled his eyes, stepping forward and looking Draco up and down. "Charlie Weasley, but _you_ can call me Charles," he said, thrusting a hand out. Draco shook it hesitantly, eyeing the large burn scar on Charles's arm. 

 "Draco Malfoy," he said, managing a small smile. 

 "Draco," Andromeda said, tugging on his cloak. "Some of the senior members would like to talk to you." Draco bid Charles adieu and followed Andromeda through a door at the end of the room. Astoria smiled encouragingly as he passed.  

Draco followed Andromeda through several rooms until they reached what resembled a drawing room. The windows overlooked the dark street, and a large tapestry hung upon the wall. Draco looked around the empty room before walking over to examine the tapestry.

It looked very old, the threads frayed and colors faded, but he could see the glint of gold in the lines that connected what must have been a hundred names — many of them recognizable.

 _Walburga —_ that would be his great-aunt. He vaguely remembered attending her funeral when he was maybe four years old. He also remembered that she had looked horrifying when his mother brought him up for the visitation. Draco shivered. 

In fact, looking at more of the names, Draco found quite a few whose funerals he'd attended, though none quite as early as Walburga's; Cygnus, Cassiopeia and Lucretia's funerals, for instance, all occurred within the year he turned twelve, and Pollux and Arcturus when he was ten and eleven respectively. The only two of the bunch he'd actually cared for had been Cygnus and Lucretia; Cygnus, his grandfather, had taught him Quidditch, and Lucretia (a distant cousin of his mother's) had kept him out of trouble during family gatherings, reading to him. The rest had just been boring, stuffy old people in his opinion.

He sighed, turning away from the tapestry and sitting beside Andromeda on the couch. She glanced up from the faded book cover she was examining and gave Draco a small smile that did nothing to calm his nerves.

 "Who are the senior members, Andromeda?" he asked, looking at her. She sighed. 

 "Severus, Molly Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall." 

Draco sighed, getting a sense of foreboding. "Great," he muttered under his breath. He leaned against the armrest of the couch, looking around the ancient drawing room. He almost didn't notice the door creaking open behind him, too focused on reading the rusted plaque under an empty picture frame. 

 "Andromeda," a curt voice greeted, and Draco tensed, his nails digging into the couch. He ground his teeth, keeping his head down as the footsteps of several people filed into the room. 

 "Minerva," Andromeda greeted, still sounding far too cheerful. "Is everything well with you?"

 "As well as can be expected." 

 "And Severus, how are you?" Draco's heart seemed to jolt to a stop. 

 "Well enough. Now, shall we get to the heart of this or do you insist on holding us all up with these niceties?" 

 "I'm only being polite, Severus," Andromeda said. Draco felt an elbow connect with his kidney, and looked up, glaring at Andromeda. "Draco, be polite."

 He sighed. "Could have just asked," he muttered. He ground his teeth, and looked up at Professor Snape  _(If I can even call him a professor now,_ he thought. _Bloody hell, what_ should  _I call him?)._

"Hello, Professor," he said, managing to make eye contact with him. It has always made him uncomfortable to look into Snape's eyes, but it was especially so now, when it seemed Snape wasn't even trying to conceal the fact that he was using Legilimency on him. 

"Draco," Snape said calmly, sinking onto the couch across from Draco and Andromeda. Minerva sat stiffly beside Snape, giving Draco a scrutinizing gaze through her spectacles. 

 "Is Kingsley coming?" Andromeda asked as Mrs. Weasley joined the two professors on the couch. Draco turned away again, hoping Andromeda wouldn't notice.

 "He'll be along shortly," Mrs. Weasley replied. "How have you been, Draco?"

 He looked up, surprised; she had hardly acknowledged his presence when she visited Andromeda before. Of course, he had stayed in his room nearly the whole visit, and made an effort to be as inconspicuous as possible when Andromeda made him come down for tea.

 "I'm alright," he said, shifting in his seat. "A little more tired since Teddy started teething, but it's fine. More often than not, he has Delphi to distract him from biting all my fingers off..."

 "Oh, Astoria's visiting often, then?" Mrs. Weasley asked, and Draco immediately wished he hadn't said anything. "That's strange. She said to me before you got here that she hadn't seen much of Andromeda lately..." 

"She usually drops by to help Draco with babysitting while I'm running errands," Andromeda said, giving Draco a sideways glance and a smirk that made his face heat up. "She seems to enjoy his company."

Molly chuckled. "Well, with that Delphi child to take care of, I can't blame her for wanting to get out of the house. Poor thing..."

 "Delphi's not that bad," Andromeda said. "She's certainly not spoiled, at least." 

 "Well, I wouldn't imagine she would be," Draco muttered, looking up. "Doesn't change the fact that she's demanding. Probably because she knows Astoria isn't going to say no to her."

 Molly sighed. "Well, we've got her, that's what matters." She turned to McGonagall, and the two quickly became occupied with a conversation about something or other. Draco had stopped paying attention. 

Then, the door opened again, and conversation stopped. 

"Kingsley," Andromeda greeted, and Draco turned around to look at the newcomer. He thought he might have seen the man at the "Battle of Hogwarts" (as the Death Eaters had called it whenever they referred to it).  _This must be Kingsley Shacklebolt,_ he decided.

 "Andromeda," the man said, his voice startlingly deep and slow. "I see you've brought a guest." 

 "Indeed, Kingsley." Andromeda put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "My nephew, Draco. You may recognize him from—"

"From the Wanted posters?" Shacklebolt raised a brow. "Indeed; Though I am surprised to see him here."

"Well, after the new rule we instated, I thought it wise to finally bring him in, before I was made to throw him out." Andromeda raised a brow at Shacklebolt, and not for the first time Draco noticed her resemblance to his mother in the stern gaze she gave the man. 

 "I see." Shacklebolt turned to Draco. "I presume you know why you're here?"

"Yes, sir," Draco answered, trying to keep his tone even; Now that he was really facing the challenge of being accepted or being thrown out, he felt more nervous than he had in weeks. 

"That's good." Shacklebolt walked over and sat beside McGonagall on the sofa. "If you don't mind, we'll simply be asking a few questions."

McGonagall nodded, waving her wand and a pad of paper and a quill appeared on her lap. "All you have to do is answer honestly. We will evaluate your answers, and decide whether you are for for inclusion in the ranks. None of your answers will leave this room without mutual approval."

 _Mutual approval from whom?_ Draco wondered grudgingly, leaning against the armrest. "Alright. I'm fine with that." 

 "We'll begin." Shacklebolt nodded to McGonagall. "Minerva?"

 McGonagall adjusted her spectacles, looking up at Draco. "Have you ever been involved in activities using Dark Magic?"

Draco frowned, his anxiety heightened. _If this is the first question...._

 "Yes. I have," he said, looking away. 

"Have you ever used an Unforgivable Curse on another person?"

Madam Rosmerta's blank stare flashed across his mind, and he pressed back a shiver. "I have."

"What services can you perform for the Order, provided you are approved?"

Draco paused to think, frowning. What _could_ he do?

"I may have information," he finally answered. "And I can help with Delphi."

"Very well." McGonagall set down the quill, her expression betraying nothing. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. 

 _Is that it? That was easy..._ Then Shacklebolt spoke, and his relief evaporated. 

"Can you describe the circumstances that led to you living with Andromeda?" 

 Draco bit his lip, an uncomfortable weight settling in his stomach. 

"I don't remember," he half-lied. "I passed out in Diagon Alley and woke up at her house."

"How did you come to be in Diagon Alley?" Shacklebolt pressed, now writing on the pad of paper.

 "I Apparated,"  Draco answered. 

"With what wand?" 

"I borrowed one from Th—" he caught himself. "From a friend who lives near the Ministry building." 

"I see." Shacklebolt set the paper down. "Did you see anyone else during your escape?"

Draco shook his head. "Bellatrix, and Rodolphus Lestrange — but I don't think they're usually there." Draco tried to think of other executions he had heard, if he had ever heard Bellatrix's voice during one. "I think  they — Bellatrix at least — might be brought in for high-profile executions."

Shacklebolt nodded, writing something down. "I believe that's all we will need to know." 

Draco nodded slightly, sighing. 

 "You may go while we discuss this," Snape said. "Andromeda, would you stay?" 

Andromeda nodded, looking at Draco. "Why don't you find Astoria?"

He nodded, and stood up, quickly walking out of the room. He took a few moments to collect himself before he went off in search of Astoria. 

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter eleven

Draco found Astoria in a small room off the hall, sitting with a very fussy Delphi in an armchair and humming, her hair pulled up in a bun held in place with her wand, apparently to keep Delphi from pulling it. 

 "Oh, good, you're here," Astoria said tiredly as Draco approached. "Ron abandoned me," she lamented. "He's great with kids, but even he couldn't handle Delphi." 

Draco nodded, sitting in the armchair beside hers. Delphi reached toward him, her eyes fixed on his hair. 

 "She's refusing to go to sleep..." Astoria sighed. "I'm so tired..."

 "I can take her for you," Draco offered, eyeing Astoria; she truly did look tired, as if she hadn't slept well in a few days. She looked over at him, her eyes bloodshot. 

 "Really?" she asked, smiling a little. He nodded, leaning over to take Delphi. Delphi practically jumped on him, her tiny hands burying in his hair, and he winced. 

 "Careful," he said, pulling her hands away from his head. "You are going to lay down and take a nap, alright?" 

 Delphi rolled her eyes dramatically, flopping down across his chest, her dark curls tickling his face. He sighed, looking at Astoria. 

 "You feeling alright?" he asked, taking in her pale skin, flushed cheeks and dark circles. She nodded, running a hand through her hair, which came loose from its bun and cascaded around her shoulders in a mess of waves. She groaned when her wand clattered on the floor behind her chair. 

 "Oh, Bloody Baron's aunt Gabby," she muttered, sitting up and reaching over the back of the chair. "This bleeding wand..." 

 "Here, let me get it," he said, reaching around the corner. He felt around on the floor until he found her wand, and shook the dust off before handing it back to her. "D'you want me to take her somewhere else so you can sleep?"

 Astoria shook her head, tucking her wand away. "No, no, it's fine, I'd prefer if you'd stay."

Draco nodded, adjusting Delphi on his lap and leaning back in the chair. "Alright," he said, gently rocking Delphi back and forth. He heard Astoria yawn, and it wasn't long before he could hear her softly snoring. 

***

 "Draco, wake up!"

 Draco flinched, blinking awake, and squinted against the light shining in his eye from Andromeda's wand. "What?" he mumbled, shielding his eye with his hand. "What is it?"

 "The senior members have decided, they just need to ask a few questions before they finalize it," his aunt said. Draco's annoyance at being woken up faded into an anxiety that settled in his stomach like a stone. 

 "Oh," he said , standing up shakily; In his arms, Delphi stirred in her sleep. 

 "Here, let me take her," Andromeda said, taking the toddler from him. "The seniors are still in the drawing room, you know where that is?" Draco nodded.

 "Good. Go along," she said, waving him towards the door. "Good luck!"

 Every nerve agitated, Draco walked off through the gloomy house to meet his fate, whatever that might be. 

 ***

The questions were fairly standard; Asking whether he had suffered injury or personal loss at the hands of either the Order or the Death Eaters, evaluating his relationship with other members of the order, his beliefs on the use of Dark Magic, and (most controversially) his views on blood purity.

He didn't fail to notice that Remus Lupin had turned up between the initial interview and now. Despite his unease at that, Draco answered the questions as truthfully as he could (although Shacklebolt did reproach him for his sarcasm when he said his only current opinion on blood was that it should _'stay inside where it belongs')._

 Finally, Molly Weasley took the floor. 

 "Do you believe your family loyalties will hinder you in any way from performing your duties as a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" she asked, sharp and to the point. Draco was silent for a while, considering his answer. 

"My loyalties are to Andromeda Tonks," he said at last. "She is the only family I have, as I am sure you know by now."

The stout woman nodded her head, sinking back onto the sofa between McGonagall and Lupin. 

 "I believe we have made our final decision," Shacklebolt said, looking to the other seniors for confirmation; Draco felt another anxiety stone added to the pile. 

McGonagall stood, nodding to Shacklebolt, and spoke. "You are hereby accepted as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. You will be closely monitored over the next month, as per Order custom." 

Draco nodded in agreement, feeling lightheaded. She handed him a Galleon, which he looked at in bewilderment for a moment. 

"It's enchanted," Lupin said. "You'll be able to receive updates on meetings and such. After your trial month is over, you will receive full clearance and be able to send messages of your own. Abuse of the system _will_ result in confiscation," he warned. Draco nodded, turning the coin over in his hand. 

"Yes, sir," he said quietly.

The senior members gradually dispersed one by one, until Draco was left alone with Snape. 

 "So. You're not dead," Draco said after a couple seconds of silence. 

 "Indeed," Snape said boredly. "Neither are you, I presume."

 "Of course I'm not." Draco stood, looking at Snape in annoyance. "No thanks to you."

 "My vow to your mother was dissolved as soon as Dumbledore was dead," he replied calmly. 

 "I never said it wasn't." Draco walked to the door. "And I never asked." 

 "Drop your attitude, Malfoy." 

 "You're not my teacher anymore," Draco said, opening the door. "Good day." 

 He walked out, heading back to the room where he'd left Astoria; However, he found himself in the middle of a crowd of Weasleys as soon as he reached the ground floor. 

 "Well?" one of them said; he couldn't properly see which. "What's the verdict, eh?"

"I— I'm staying," he replied nervously. Much tongue surprise, this was simply met by groans, and what he thought might be the sound of coins changing hands. 

"Pay up, Perce," one of them said — that'd have to be the twin. Was that Fred or George? He'd figure it out later.

"Bloody hell," someone (who was _almost definitely_ Ronald Weasley) said. "I haven't got the Galleons on me, Gin, can it wait?" 

Draco rolled his eye, edging his way around the group of redheads and walking on down the hallway. He slipped into the small room, sighing, and sat down in the chair beside Astoria, who was still sleeping peacefully, though she did look paler than before. He sighed, looking around. 

 _Well,_ he thought.  _At least I'm not getting thrown out. Yet._

 

 

 


	12. Chapter twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for graphic violence and character death!

Draco awoke with a jolt when a loud _crash!_ downstairs startled him. He grabbed his wand, pulling a shirt on as he crept through the house. 

 "This has got to be the one," he heard someone whisper below. "They said it was this street..."

 "If it's not, we can kill 'em just the same and move along," someone else replied. "What's a few Muggles matter in this?"

 Draco's heart raced as he backed away from the top of the staircase, glancing at Andromeda's closed bedroom door. Not taking his eyes off the landing below, he turned the doorknob, hoping the hinges wouldn't creak. 

 "Wait." 

 Draco froze, hearing footsteps approach the stairs; a figure stood at the foot of the staircase, the end of their wand lit, illuminating a Muggle-style portrait of Andromeda with her daughter and late husband. 

 "That's the blood traitor, innit?" one of the voices said; now Draco recognized it as Amycus Carrow's, and his stomach twisted at the sound of the voice; he remembered well that man's methods of 'punishing' students during Draco's final year at Hogwarts, which would have given Dolores Umbridge nightmares — or perhaps pleasant daydreams, that wouldn't surprise him. _The other one must be Alecto,_ he thought. 

 "Yeah, and 'er freak daughter. Shame that one got away, woulda liked seein' her executed...she kicked me in the shin on her way out, d'you know?" 

 Draco decided he'd give Tonks a high-five next time he saw her. If he managed to get out of here alive. Still slowly turning the doorknob to Andromeda's room, he watched intently as the two Death Eaters headed away from the stairs — _Probably hoping they can find some clues in the kitchen,_ he thought. _Either that or they're stupid._

He finally got the door open without a sound, and slipped inside the bedroom. After casting a muffling charm on the door, he shook Andromeda awake. 

 "Auh? What? What is it?" Andromeda stammered, switching her bedside lamp on; Draco glanced back at the open door, hoping the Death Eaters hadn't gone back to the dining room. 

 "Death Eaters," he said hurriedly. "We have to leave. Now."

 "Are you sure —?"

 "No, I woke you up for the fun of it!" he snapped. "We have to go. Get Teddy, alright? I'll alert the Order." It was still a few days before his trial month was up, but he could borrow Andromeda's Galleon. 

 Andromeda nodded, her eyes wide; she grabbed a dressing gown and stood up "Try and hurry."

 Draco did hurry, running back to his room as quickly and silently as he could. He grabbed a cloak from a hook in the hallway, putting it on and fastening it at his neck. While he was searching through the pockets for his and Andromeda's Order Galleons, however, a scream from downstairs shocked him, sending a chill down his spine.

_Andromeda._

He hurried down to the kitchen, his wand drawn and a curse on the tip of his tongue; When he got there, he froze in terror. 

 "Ahh, look at this, Alecto. It's our little traitor."  

Amycus stepped forward, leering, while Alecto barked a laugh from where she stood, a knife at Andromeda's throat; in the corner, Teddy cowered behind a chair, apparently unnoticed by the Deah Eaters. "Heard you gave the Lestranges a bit of trouble, eh?"

Draco swallowed, his mouth dry, and raised his wand. "Let her go."

"Aw, that's so _sweet!"_ Alecto jeered. "Cowardly little Malfoy, sticking up for his blood traitor auntie!"

"Draco, just go," Andromeda whispered, blood already dripping from her neck where the knife dug in. "Get Teddy to safety."

"No. Let her go," he demanded again, glaring at Amycus. "That's not a request."

"You'll have to make me," Amycus said. Draco could see Andromeda shaking her head, but he nodded. 

"Fine. _Expelliarmus!"_

"REDUCTO!"

Draco dove out of the way as the curse headed toward a vase right beside him, but too late; the curse hit its mark, and his left arm exploded with pain, blood running down between his fingers, as a large shard of glass buried itself in his forearm. Gritting his teeth, he raised his wand in his uninjured hand, firing off curses quickly; just as many hit him, though, gashes opening on his arms and face. 

 _He's playing a game_ , he thought.  _He's just trying to weaken me, not kill me. This is fun to him._

"Hurry it up," Alecto snapped. "We haven't found any information yet, and we've still got houses to go!"

Amycus sneered, lowering his wand and turning to his sister. "Well, what're you waiting for? Go ahead and kill her; I can take  ~~-~~ "

"Stupefy!"

Amycus fell to the floor, stunned; Alecto stared, looking just as stunned...but then a wicked grin came across her face. Before Draco could raise his wand again, she had slashed her knife across Andromeda's throat; Andromeda fell on the floor, gasping. 

Teddy gasped, running out from his hiding place. Draco caught him before he could reach Andromeda, and held him back as Alecto grabbed Amycus's arm and Disapparated. 

"Andromeda," Draco choked out, running forward; He covered Teddy's eyes before turning Andromeda over. 

She was barely breathing, her eyes glassy. "G...get Teddy to Astoria," she rasped. "I'm sorry."

Tears stung Draco's eye. "I'm getting you help," he asserted, laying a hand over the wound to stem the flow of blood; but he could already see it was no use. 

 "Go," she whispered, weakly laying her hand on Teddy's back. Her breathing slowed, blood dripping from her lips. Then she went still, her eyes looking up sightlessly.

Draco swallowed hard, holding Teddy close to his chest. His vision was a haze of tears as he stumbled backwards, his head pounding. Now that he was alone, he started to panic. 

 _Find Astoria,_ the logical part of him thought. That alone kept him from total panic. Astoria would know what to do. Astoria could comfort Teddy, while Draco — 

What would Draco do? He was injured, wanted by the Death Eaters as a traitor, and now that Andromeda was dead he'd be suspected by the Order. He could probably stick it out in Knockturn Alley for a few before before he was caught and killed — or worse. 

 _Astoria,_ he reminded himself. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and grabbed Teddy's diaper bag from the table. Teddy whined in Draco's arms as Draco stepped out the back door and ran through the yard, pushing through a gap in the hedges between Andromeda's house and the one next door. Glancing back, Draco could see shadows moving in the upstairs windows. He ran faster, until he found a house with a small, empty garden in the backyard and planters in the windows. 

 _This must be Astoria's place,_ he thought, hurrying to the back door and knocking frantically. The door swing open and Astoria stepped out, her wand raised; but upon seeing Teddy in Draco's arms she lowered it, her eyes wide. 

 "Malfoy?" she breathed, her gaze catching on his bloody face and hands. "Wha— come in, quick!"

"No, there's no time," Draco protested. "Please, just — take Teddy," he said, nervously glancing behind him. 

Astoria grabbed his arm. "Malfoy, no. You're hurt. Get in here." 

Draco stammered as she pulled him inside the house, his hands shaking when she took Teddy and ushered Draco into the living room, pushing him into an armchair and Summoning a vial of something hot and slimy, which tasted like grass and soap when she made him drink it. He barely registered her questions, too afraid that Death Eaters would show up any moment.

"Draco, you're shaking. Here, let me have a look at your ~~-~~ " 

Draco flinched, hissing in pain; Astoria's hand had brushed his arm, where the glass shard was still buried deep. Astoria glanced at his face apologetically before pulling a small metal object from her pocket; she flicked it and a blade snapped out, clicking into place. Draco's breath caught in his throat as she cut through his sleeve, tearing it in two up to his elbow. He glanced at his arm, then wished he hadn't. The wound was deep, and oozing a reddish-black substance. Through the mess Draco could faintly see the Dark Mark, split down the middle by the cut. 

Astoria grimaced, picking up a stained cloth from one of the end tables and covering her hand with it before grasping the shard and pulling, her wand at the ready. 

The glass came out. Draco screamed, clutching his arm; Astoria slapped his hand away, wrapping the cloth tightly around the wound and Summoning another bottle, which she forced him to drink. He coughed, swallowing the bitter liquid, and Astoria patted his shoulder in what he assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"There you go," she murmured, slowly peeling away the bloodied cloth and tracing her wand over the gruesome wound. "There, see? All better."

Draco fought the temptation to roll his eye despite the situation; no doubt she'd forgotten she wasn't talking to Teddy.

"Come on," she said, grabbing him by the good arm and pulling him to his feet. "You need cleaned up."

"What? No, I- I'm fine," he stuttered, wondering if he'd ever been less fine. "I- I have to - not safe..."

"The house is protected," Astoria said, far too calmly. "It's safe now. It won't be if you keep getting blood everywhere. I need a clean environment to make potions in, you know."

"I ~~-~~ " Draco gulped. "No, I wouldn't make you  ~~-~~ I can take care of myself  ~~-~~ "

"Not in your condition. Now come on!" Astoria pulled him toward a staircase, ignoring his protests. Draco was glad she hadn't yet mentioned Andromeda. That was a bridge he wasn't yet willing to cross. 

Astoria pushed him into a surprisingly large bathroom, turning on the bathtub faucet and pouring in a vial of some bright pinkish-purple liquid that smelled somewhat like lavender.  _A Calming Draught, probably,_ Draco thought, trying to keep himself from looking at the blood on his clothes.

"Alright," Astoria said, startling him from his thoughts. "Clothes off and get in the tub. Haven't got all night, and you're about to pass out, so this needs gotten over with before you do."

Draco nodded, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. Astoria stepped forward, helping him undo the buttons and pull it off. Draco noticed her blushing but couldn't bring himself to care; modesty was low on his list of priorities, somewhere between owning a llama farm and proposing to Moaning Myrtle. 

"I'll get you something to change into," Astoria said quickly, hurrying out of the room. Draco sighed, undressing and climbing into the bathtub. He looked around shakily, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. His throat seemed to burn with the effort it took not to sob now that he was alone with his thoughts. His head hurt, too, and his vision blurred with tears.  

"All I could find was a bathrobe, so that'll have to  ~~-~~ " 

Astoria broke off what she was saying when a hoarse sob escaped Draco. She ran to the side of the tub, her eyes scanning him up and down. 

"Hey. It's alright," she murmured, picking up a washcloth and running it over his face to clean off the blood that had dried on it. "It's okay, you're safe. It's okay."

Draco shook his head, shuddering at her touch. Another sob wracked his body, and Astoria wrapped her arm around his shaking shoulders, cleaning blood off his arms with the cloth. 

"Alright, you're cleaned up, let's get you to bed..." she said gently, hooking her arms under his and lifting; Draco leaned against the wall with one hand and stood up unsteadily. Astoria helped him dry off and put on the bathrobe  ~~-~~ a fluffy, pastel yellow-and-blue thing that was slightly large for his shoulders, but barely reached his knees ~~-~~   and allowed him to lean on her shoulder until they reached a small bedroom. 

Glancing around, Draco could tell it was Astoria's room; Potion bottles  in varting states of emptiness covered the shelves, and clothes with stains, burns and bleached spots hung on hooks on the walls. In the middle of the bed lay the largest cat Draco had ever seen, which Astoria shooed away before pulling the covers back. 

"Get in."

This Draco did with minimal hesitation. Astoria helped him pull the covers up (a difficult task with only one working arm) and lit the bedside lamp before walking out. 

Draco sighed, struggling to keep his eyes open as fatigue washed over him; he soon gave up trying to stay awake, and fell into a deep, restless sleep. 

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for bad dreams, graphic description of injuries and illness

_Rubble and ashes. Blood on the floor, on his clothes, splattered on the walls, on the grass outside. A tight feeling in his chest as he struggled to breathe_. _His head pounding as much as his heart,_ _skin feeling on fire inside and out. Hands holding tightly to his arms, dragging him — pulling him through the crumbled entrance hall, into the courtyard. His mother's voice, urgent but at the moment a comfort. His father's hand on his shoulder, firm and reassuring._

_A sudden change in the atmosphere — like the sun was suddenly blocked out by a cloud. The mid-spring heat, vanished, replaced by overwhelming cold in an instant._

No...this isn't how it's supposed to be,  _he thought as the Dementors swept down..._

_He stared in horror as all around him, bodies fell lifeless to the floor; His mother. His father. Andromeda. Daphne, Astoria, Teddy. A cold hand gripped his shoulder, nails digging into his skin; he turned sharply to face Bellatrix, her knife raised an inch from his chest —_

Draco jerked awake, panting; He was burning up, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead. He sat up, pushing the covers off in an attempt to cool down. Beside him, the mattress shifted, and he froze as a hand laid on his back. 

 "Draco?" Astoria whispered, and he relaxed somewhat. "Are you okay? You're burning up."

 "Fine," he stammered, tugging at the neck of the robe he wore, trying to loosen it. "Just — bad dream. Need some water."

Astoria moved; Draco couldn't see her, but he heard her footsteps crossing the room, and a door opening. He waited, staying still and glancing around the room uneasily. 

 "I've got some water, and a Calming Draught, if you want it." There was a  _click_ sound, and the room lit up. Astoria walked over, setting a glass of water and a vial of potion on the bedside table. Draco nodded in thanks, taking the glass of water. 

 "You feel alright?" Astoria asked, sitting down beside him once he'd finished the water.

 "I'll be fine. How's Teddy?"

 "He's upset. I got him to sleep a few hours ago." 

 He nodded slightly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I woke you..."

 "It's okay, you didn't. I've been awake." Astoria nodded toward his arm. "Can I check on that? The bandage probably needs changed." He nodded, holding it out towards her. She unwound the bandage, grimacing. "Wait here, I'll get some more Dittany..." She walked around the room, rummaging on shelves and in drawers and finally bringing a half-empty bottle over. Draco held still as she slowly dropped the liquid onto his injured arm before wrapping new bandages around it. 

 She sighed when she was done, looking up at Draco. "Are you really feeling okay?" she asked, her eyes gazing steadily into his. He looked away, uncomfortable.

 "Fine," he lied. "I should be going now." He moved to stand, but she laid her hand on his shoulder. 

 "No," she said firmly. "I'm not letting you run off and inevitably get killed. Someone's got to help me look after that devil child," she said with the ghost of a smile. 

 "I wasn't aware I'd been assigned the role of babysitter," he mumbled, looking at her. "You're not going to be safe here much longer, anyways."

 Astoria frowned, looking puzzled, and all trace of humor vanished from her face. "What do you mean?"

 "You were under the protection of a Fidelius charm, weren't you?" Draco asked. "She was your Secret-Keeper."

 Astoria looked alarmed. " _Was?_ " She removed her hand from his shoulder. "What do you mean,  _was?"_

He but his lip. "She - she's dead," he said, trying for the matter-of-fact, emotionless tone he'd used when relaying news to the Dark Lord, but failing. He looked down, tugging at the ends of his sleeves. "That's...that's why I came here."

 "No," Astoria said, shaking her head. "No, no, she can't be dead — she  _can't._ " Draco was startled when her voice rose, almost to a shout; before he could reply she had ran out. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and laid back down. 

He tried to get back to sleep, but a loud, frustrated groan downstairs, followed by a crash, jolted him wide awake. He ran downstairs, stopping short in the doorway of the living room. Astoria sat on the couch, her hand over her mouth; blood dripped between  her fingers as she sobbed, staring at the tipped-over coffee table, which had spilled an Order Galleon and a Muggle phone onto the floor.

"Why? How could this happen?" she asked through sobs. Draco hadn't realized she knew he was there; she still kept staring ahead, eyes reddened. "How were they — _how could they find her?_ Someone — someone would've had to tell them where —" she looked up at Draco, her eyes narrowed. " _You —!_ "

 "You think  _I_ did this?" he said defensively, taking a step back. "If I had done this, would I have come here to  _you_ for help, and warned you?"

Astoria's mouth hung open for a moment before she closed it, wiping blood from her nose with her hand. "Could you give me that blue potion on the shelf there?" she asked weakly; she nodded in thanks when he handed it to her, and downed the small amount in the bottle. 

 "I'm sorry," he said quietly, eyeing the blood on her hand. "Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head. "Stay." She patted the place next to her on the couch. "Please."

Hesitant, Draco walked over and sat beside her. Astoria didn't look at him, but she put her hand on his arm; He tried not to look disgusted at the blood that was now on his arm. 

"You...you're sure she...?" Astoria's voice was faint, and weak-sounding. Now Draco saw her up close, she looked worse than she had at the Order gathering. 

"I'm sure," he said apologetically. 

"How...?"

"The Carrows." Astoria flinched at the mention of the twins, for which Draco didn't blame her. "Alecto...she slit her throat. There wasn't a chance." 

Astoria nodded slightly, her grip on his arm tightening. He winced, but she didn't seem to notice. He sighed. 

"I'm sorry," he said again, looking down. "Are...are you okay? Your nose —"

 "I'm fine," she interrupted. "I've just been sick." 

 "You look tired."

 "You're one to talk." 

"Astoria —"

"Don't worry about me, alright? It's just stress. I'll be fine. We've got bigger things to worry about," she added sternly. She stood up, looking at him. "Have you got Andromeda's coin?"

 "I think it's in my cloak, why? Haven't you got one?" he asked, puzzled. 

"I have, but if the Death Eaters got a hold of hers..." She crossed the room, rummaging through the pockets on the cloak that lay on a chair. "There's two in here, that's good."

"Shouldn't we be getting out of here?" Draco asked impatiently. 

"No," Astoria replied. "If Andromeda's...dead...then the secret's passed on to us. So long as neither of us say the address within earshot of a Death Eater, they'll never realize we're here." She sat back down next to him, stretching her arms along the back of the couch. Draco sighed, leaning his head on the back of the couch and closing his eyes. 

***

Draco had slowly gotten used to Astoria's place, even the enormous cat who screamed loudly whenever his water bowl was empty. He and Astoria took turns sleeping in her bed, and he got accustomed to the smell of potions spilled on the bed and couch. Astoria had contacted the Order, and Tonks was making preparations to come back from Romania for Teddy. 

 "I'll be back, I've got some ingredients to pick up from Severus," Astoria said one morning as she walked through the living room, tossing a cloak over her teal robes; Draco looked up from his place in the couch, where he _had_ been peacefully sleeping. "I might be back late, if he hasn't got the ingredients I'll have to go to Diagon Alley. Be back sometime today though." She got out her Order coin, pressing her thumb on the center circle; in a swirl of robes, she disappeared. Draco sighed, standing, and went to the kitchen. 

Hours later, when he had put Teddy to bed and was reading to Delphi in the upstairs sitting room when there was a  _crack!_ downstairs _,_ followed by a rather loud crashing sound, like several objects being knocked over, glass smashing, and... _sobbing?_ Alarmed, Draco closed the book, telling Delphi he'd be back in a moment, then ran down the stairs. 

Astoria lay curled in a heap by the door, blood running heavily from her nose and from her hand, which clutched a broken bottle. Draco ran to her, kneeling down. 

"Astoria," he said, lifting her head; she flinched, looking up with tearful green eyes, dazed and unfocused. He bit his lip. "Astoria, it's alright. It's me. I'm going to help you, okay?" He kept a hand under her head, reaching for her arm. She whimpered, her whole body shaking with heavy sobs as he picked her up, carrying her to the couch. 

He managed to heal her hand easily, but her nose refused to stop bleeding; in addition, blood on the front of her robes indicated further injury, and she refused to move her hand from her stomach, where most of the blood seemed to be coming from. 

"Astoria," he said gently. "I can't get you to stop bleeding, is there a potion that can help?" She nodded weakly. "Can you tell me what it is?"

She looked up, keeping her lips pressed together; shaking, she pointed to a cabinet across the room. He nodded, hurrying across the room and pulling the doors open. "What color?" he asked, studying the bottles inside; receiving no answer, he rummaged through, hoping for one that was recognizable. He pushed aside the Draught of Living Death and Confusion Draught, and rejected the Hiccuping Solution; finally he found a bottle of blue potion he thought he'd seen her take before. 

Carrying it over to her, he knelt down. "Is this it?" he asked, watching for her response; she nodded, reaching out, and took the bottle, pulling the cork with her teeth and pouring what looked like half the contents into her mouth, then swallowed painfully. Draco Summoned a cloth, gently swabbing away the blood from her nose; the flow of blood seemed to slow, then gradually stopped after a few seconds. Draco sighed in relief, setting down the cloth; then, sighing, he looked up at her face.

"Astoria, I need you to move your hand," he said hesitantly. Her eyes widened, looking frightened; she shook her head, drawing her knees to her chest. He sighed. 

"Look, I won't hurt you, see?" He put his wand down. "I need to see that cut to fix it."

Astoria looked at him again, slowly uncurling and moving her hand, which was covered entirely in blood. Draco suppressed a gasp at the gaping wound across her stomach. 

 "Astoria, you're going to have to explain how this happened," he said, hurrying to grab a bottle of Essence of Dittany, one of Blood-Replenishing Potion and a vial of Strengthening Solution. "I'm going to need my wand to heal this."

Astoria watched him, looking uneasy, as he examined the cut and carefully applied Essence of Dittany. Her eyes would start drifting closed once in a while, but she would quickly force them open. He healed it the best he could using magic, and gave her the Blood-Replenishing Potion before wrapping a bandage around her stomach. 

"I'll have to pick you up again, okay?" he said, waiting for her response. "And we'll need to get you changed." Astoria nodded her head slightly, holding onto his shoulder as he picked her up again. He carried her to her bed, sitting her against the headboard. 

 "Stay there," he said, crossing the room to look through the closet. He found an oversized t-shirt and some loose pajama pants in a drawer, and set them on the bed, looking at Astoria. 

"Can you put these on yourself, or are you going to need help?" he asked. She was silent, biting her lip. Finally she shook her head. "No? No, what? No you  _don't_ need help?"

She shook her head again.

"You... _do_ need help?" he asked. "Can you talk? That'd make this easier." She shook her head. "Why not?"

Hesitantly, she opened her mouth a little; Draco had to try very hard not to recoil. Her tongue looked like she'd bitten it nearly in two, and he could easily understand why she couldn't speak. 

 "Hang on, I'll try to fix that." He picked up his wand, which he'd discarded while looking for suitable clothes. Astoria flinched. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured her, carefully healing her tongue. She held still, her hands clenched into fists at her sides until he was done. He set his wand aside. 

"Now, can you dress yourself?" 

 "I can barely move," she muttered, grimacing. "You're gonna have to do it. Just keep your hands off and eyes up here." Draco rolled his eyes, an uncomfortable heat spreading in his face. 

"Hold still." 

He got her blood-soaked robes and jeans off, adding them to a pile of stained clothes that he hoped was a laundry pile, and readjusted her bandages. Her wound had almost stopped bleeding, and she was becoming more responsive as the Blood-Replenishing Potion and Strengthening Solution did their job. 

He pulled the covers up over her once she was dressed, and headed out to put Delphi to bed. 

"Thanks," Astoria mumbled from under the covers; Draco paused in the doorway, glancing back at her.

"No problem," he replied, turning the light out and closing the door. 

Delphi stood outside of Astoria's bedroom, holding a different book than the one he had been reading to her before. 

"Read?" she asked, holding it out to him; he hesitated, looking at the clock.

 "Not now, it's past your bedtime."

Delphi pouted. "Two pages?" she asked, wrapping an arm around his leg and holding up four fingers. He sighed. 

"Alright. Two pages," he conceded, picking her up. "but go to sleep when we're done." 

"Okay!" Delphi grinned, and Draco forced back a sigh. 

 _Will I ever get any sleep around here?_ he wondered ruefully. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we got some more angst here, along with Draco being a good cousin. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


End file.
